impact	breathing,	making	these	illnesses	all	the	more	distressing.	The	stress
reaction	due	to	anxiety	is	also	linked	with	migraines,	rheumatoid	arthritis,
hyperthyroidism,	diabetes,	and	autoimmune	illnesses.
Unfortunately,	anxiety	is	often	not	considered	a	significant	factor	when
treating	these	complicated	and	often	debilitating	symptoms.	If	anxiety	is
overlooked,	medical	
symptoms
	
may	become	worse.	Knowing	which	of	your
symptoms	are	anxiety	related	and	managing	them	will	improve	your	overall
physical	functioning	and	psychological	well-being.
STRATEGY:
	
WHAT	STORIES	ARE	YOU
TELLING?
There	is	a	back-and-forth	interplay	between	anxiety	and	medical	illness.	The
story	you	tell	yourself	about	your	medical	symptom(s)	and	how	it	impacts
you	physically	is	the	variable	we’re	going	to	focus	on	here.	Let’s	begin	with
an	example:
My	client	Sierra	endured	uncomfortable	bouts	of	gastroesophageal	reflux
disease	(GERD).	The	symptoms	were	so	painful	that	she	was	frequently
distracted	from	work	and	family	responsibilities,	slept	upright	at	night	and	so
slept	poorly,	and	despite	medication	had	a	perpetual	burning	sensation	in	her
chest.	By	the	time	Sierra	entered	therapy,	she	had	seen	a	number	of