How Interoception Affects Anxiety

People who struggle with anxiety often have heightened or unclear interoceptive awareness. This means they might:

• Notice every tiny flutter in their chest or gut
• Misinterpret normal bodily sensations (like a racing heart) as dangerous
• Feel overwhelmed without understanding why

Here’s what that can look like in real life:

“My chest felt tight, so I thought I was about to have a panic attack. I thought something must be wrong even though I wasn’t in a stressful situation — I didn’t realise until I talked about it in therapy that it wasn’t what was going on in the moment.”

The disconnect between body signals and brain interpretation can amplify anxiety and feed a cycle of hypervigilance.

Signs of Interoceptive Dysregulation

You might be struggling with interoception if you:

• Frequently feel “off” but don’t know why
• Can’t tell if you’re hungry, tired, or tense until you’re starving, exhausted or super stressed
• Feel physical symptoms of anxiety without a clear emotional trigger
• Feel like you are overreacting to mild body sensations

When you improve interoceptive awareness, you:

• Become more attuned to messages
• Learn to distinguish between true threats and false alarms
• Reduce reactivity and make more grounded choices
• Feel more in control of your emotional responses

Better interoception = better emotional regulation.

How To Improve Your Interoception

Here are a few simple, body-based practices you can start today:

Body Scans

• • Lie down or sit still. Bring gentle awareness to each part of your body from head to toe.
  • Don’t judge what you feel — just notice.

Mindful Breathing

• • Focus on the rhythm of your breath. Inhale slowly, exhale slowly.
  • Where do you feel your breath? Your chest? Belly? Nose?

Journaling Physical Sensations

• • Write down what you feel in your body throughout the day.
  • Link sensations with emotions or situations, when possible.

Grounding Exercises

• • Push your feet into the floor or hold something textured in your hand.
  • Ask “What an I sensing right now?”

Here at This Curious Life we also offer Sound Baths

Sound baths can support your practice. Sound baths use instruments like singing bowls, gongs, and chimes to create immersive soundscapes.

The vibrations from these sounds can stimulate awareness of subtle internal sensations — like heartbeat, breath, or energetic shifts. This ‘listening’ is deeply somatic and can enhance both interoception and relaxation.

A skilled therapist can help bridge the gap, improving Interoception and Anxiety.

Why? Because anxiety often has underlying emotional or relational roots — and those aren’t always easy to uncover on your own.

In therapy, you can:

• Safely explore the emotions beneath your physical sensations
• Learn how early experiences may have shaped your body’s responses
• Rebuild trust in your body
• Get strategies for calming your anxiety and tuning into yourself

A skilled therapist can help you bridge the gap between what your body is telling you and what your mind is interpreting — which is the heart of interoceptive work.

📩 If you’re interested in working together or learning more about how counselling can support your healing, get in touch.