If you’ve been living with chronic pain or supporting someone who is, you may already know that there’s a strong connection between physical symptoms and mental health. Research confirms that chronic pain and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression often go hand in hand—and can even make each other worse.
But what many people don’t realise is how much of a role our thoughts—especially repetitive or unwanted ones—can play in the pain we experience. In this post, I’ll explore how our mind can intensify physical symptoms, particularly for people with TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) or health anxiety, and share practical strategies to help you find relief.
The Vicious Cycle of Pain, Anxiety, and Thought Loops
Chronic pain often leads to disrupted sleep, lower mood, and a decreased ability to cope—while anxiety can make symptoms like migraines, fibromyalgia, and back pain even worse.
But what drives this cycle?
One key factor is repetitive thinking.
Unwanted or obsessive thoughts often revolve around the areas of life we care about most. So if you’re highly tuned into your health, your brain may treat any discomfort or sensation as extremely important. This leads to mental fixation—constantly checking your body, worrying about symptoms, or scanning for danger.
And the more attention you give these thoughts, the more your brain brings them back.
Why Resisting Thoughts Can Make Them Stronger
You might have heard advice like “just ignore it” or “think positively,” but when it comes to persistent thoughts, resistance can backfire.
Let’s try a quick experiment:
Don’t think of a kangaroo in a tutu.
What happened?
Chances are, even if you tried, you still thought about a kangaroo in a tutu. That’s because resistance highlights importance. Your brain assumes that if you’re trying to push something away, it must matter. So it brings the thought back again… and again.
This is why trying to “not think” about symptoms or health concerns can intensify anxiety and even trigger or worsen physical sensations.
A Personal Story: When Thoughts Took Over
Years ago, I experienced numbness in my left hand. After a visit to my GP and a suggestion that it could be something serious like MS, I spiraled. I became consumed with fear. I started noticing symptoms that weren’t there before—blurred vision, fatigue, heat sensations—all driven by anxiety and thought loops.
Even after an MRI ruled out MS, the worry didn’t stop. I started questioning the test results themselves. But eventually, I came across Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and that changed everything.
How ACT Helped Me Reclaim My Mind
ACT helped me see that it wasn’t the sensations alone causing my suffering—it was my relationship with my thoughts.
Instead of resisting or fearing them, I began to say things like:
“That’s interesting—I’m having the thought that something might be wrong.”
I stopped checking, stopped panicking, and most importantly, I stopped believing every thought that popped into my head.
Gradually, the symptoms faded. I was no longer fuelling the fear.
Strategies for Working With Repetitive Health Thoughts
If you’re struggling with repetitive thoughts about pain, health, or your body, these tools can help:
1. Label Your Thoughts
When a worrying thought arises, try saying:
“I’m having the thought that…”
This separates you from the thought and reminds you that it’s just mental activity—not absolute truth.
2. Give It a Name
If your thoughts cluster around a theme, give them a playful name. For example:
- “The Crummy Tummy Story” for IBS anxiety
- “The Cheesy Queasy Tale” for food-related fear
This creates emotional distance and helps you treat the thought like a passing story rather than a reality.
3. Be Curious, Not Fearful
Shift your mindset from fear to curiosity. Instead of panicking about the thought or sensation, ask:
“Hmm, what’s my mind up to right now?”
This helps reduce resistance and allows thoughts to pass more easily.
4. Try Somatic Tracking
For physical sensations that persist—like pain, urgency, or discomfort—somatic tracking can help.
This gentle mindfulness technique invites you to observe sensations with compassion and calm, without fear.
Try my free 10-minute somatic tracking audio here.
Thoughts Create Associations—And Often, More Pain
Many people with TMS or health anxiety create strong mental associations like:
- “If I eat cheese, I’ll get bloated.”
- “If I go for a walk, my back will hurt.”
- “If I stand too long, I’ll be in pain later.”
But remember—these are thoughts, not facts. And when we believe them, we reinforce them, sometimes even triggering the symptoms we fear.
Observing these associations and treating them with the same light touch—“Oh, there’s that cheese story again”—can be powerful.
You Are Not Your Thoughts
Mainstream advice often tells us to “just change your thoughts,” but that assumes we have complete control over them. For many people—especially those with sticky minds—that’s simply not true.
Thoughts can be random, persistent, and meaningless. And that’s okay. You don’t have to control them. You just have to notice them—with kindness, lightness, and self-awareness.
Want to Go Deeper?
I help clients in Melbourne and online to understand the mind-body connection and overcome chronic pain and anxiety using ACT, somatic techniques, and mind-body approaches like TMS.
If you’re ready to explore this further, click here to learn more about working with me or go ahead and book a free consult here.
