Can Anxiety Cause Flu Like Symptoms

Written by Jim Folk
Last updated May 16, 2021

Can Anxiety Cause Flu-like Symptoms?

Complete Question

I've had a lot of anxiety symptoms, but not something like this. I've been feelings like I have the flu, yet I don't. My question is, can anxiety make you feel like you have the flu with flu-like symptoms even though you don't have the flu?

Answer

Yes! Overly apprehensive behavior and the chronic stress it causes can make it seem like you have the flu and flu-like symptoms.

This occurs because of how chronic stress affects the body, and how the body can become symptomatic when under sustained stress.

You can read more about this under our ""feeling like the flu and flu-like symptoms” symptom on our anxiety symptoms section.

Recovery Support members can read more about why anxiety can make it seem like you have the flu and having flu-like symptoms under the "flu-like symptoms" symptom in the Symptoms section (Chapter 9).

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Common Anxiety Symptoms

The combination of good self-help information and working with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist, coach, or counselor is the most effective way to address anxiety and its many symptoms. Until the core causes of anxiety are addressed – which we call the underlying factors of anxiety – a struggle with anxiety unwellness can return again and again. Dealing with the underlying factors of anxiety is the best way to address problematic anxiety.
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Additional Resources

Return to our Anxiety Frequently Asked Questions page.

anxietycentre.com: Information, support, and therapy for anxiety disorder and its symptoms, including an answer to the question: Can Anxiety Make You Feel Like You Have The Flu And Flu-Like Symptoms?