Cause of Physical Symptoms/What came first?

[filterbox06]

What do you think? Are our physical symptoms caused by our anxious thoughts? I have had my thoughts in check for some time now (6 months or better) but my physical symptoms persist.  Maybe they are just caused by my messed up hormones and get worse when I have anxious thoughts. What came first for you guys... the anxious thoughts or physical symptoms?

[sixpack]

IMO the two are intertwined.  Sort of the chicken and the egg.  When I get worried (consciously or subconsciously) or have a lot on my plate, I get physical symptoms.  If I fret over the symptoms, I get all worked up.  Then the symptoms and the anxiety get worse.  Everybody reacts physically to stress.  It is us anxiety prone type people who end up having the symptoms persist long after the stressor or anxiety is over.  We've set our minds/bodies in over reaction mode.

I also believe that once your body has learned how to overreact in the way that we tend to do, it will probably always tend toward that.  I've also noticed that if I'm looking for the physicality of it all to be gone, I'm putting a time limit it on it.  This, in essence, means my anxiety really isn't under control--for instance-- if someone is worrying (on some level anyway) why there is still twitching (or whatever the symptom is), that is giving the symptom power.

At this point, I look at my physical symptoms as kind of like a barometer.  Presently I've been concerned over my daughter and I'm reacting physically over it.  Now what I do is recognize (even if BEASTY is shouting otherwise) it for what it is.

AND finally---I do tend to have more anxious thoughts which can lead to physical stuff around ovulation and menses.  And hormones do play a role in that.