Have you ever found yourself feeling anxious without a clear reason? Anxiety is often thought of as a response to external stressors like work deadlines, social situations, or health concerns. But what if the real source of your anxiety is buried much deeper, within your subconscious mind? 

Often, anxiety is driven by hidden thoughts, fears, or unresolved emotions buried deep below our awareness. The subconscious mind, which controls our automatic responses, emotions, and deeply held beliefs, can house unresolved conflicts, past traumas, and limiting thought patterns that silently trigger anxiety without us even realising it. These buried emotions can surface in unexpected ways, leaving us feeling uneasy, restless, or anxious for reasons we can’t quite explain. 

Studies have found that implicit (subconscious) memories of fear can lead to chronic anxiety. According to research, individuals with higher levels of implicit negative memories were more prone to anxiety, even when they were not consciously aware of these memories influencing their mood.

By becoming aware of what’s hidden beneath the surface, we can begin to address the root causes of anxiety and develop strategies to heal from within. To understand how the subconscious mind can trigger anxiety, OnlyMyHealth team spoke with  Sheena Sood, Psychologist & Counsellor, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mahim, Mumbai.

According to Sheena Sood, our subconscious mind can be a huge cause of anxiety because the memory it stores is vast. She said, “Any past trauma and triggers and feelings though are not negatively impacting one currently-they are still being processed by the subconscious mind and hence, without realising where it comes from, we see a fear or worry trigger us.” The ways in which our subconscious mind can trigger, or cause anxiety are as follows:

Stored Subconscious Triggers

Subconscious triggers of anxiety come from past experiences that seem forgotten but are stored in our subconscious mind. Sood explains, “When one seems irrationally triggered by a friendly yelling between two friends, they are most probably triggered by an event stored in their mind – an event from their past that had yelling or shouting and was traumatic and now every time they hear yelling their anxiety is automatically triggered.” They do not see the setting and even though friendly, any form of yelling causes them to feel anxious.

Also read: What Is Cognitive Distortion And How Does It Affect Your Mental Health?

Psycho-Somatic/Bodily Signs

Trauma or abuse from the past is stored in your body-as famously said-the body keeps score. “Unexplained muscle aches, headaches and chest pains are a common sign that there is some stored subconscious disturbance, and this causes anxiety as we are unsure of why some parts hurt and why no doctor can diagnose it,” said Sood. This is where health anxiety stems from and can be very distressing.

Also read: How Does Your Circadian Rhythm Could Explain Your Poor Mental Health

Negative Beliefs

Core beliefs are what forms a person’s confidence and self-esteem. “When there is stored trauma, abuse or bullying in your subconscious mind your core beliefs have been impacted and they sometimes remain negatively impacted for life. Hence, we see the most successful people feeling like failures as they have some stored negatively impacted core beliefs that make them feel not good enough,” notes Sood. There was a point when an event made them feel so and now, they carry it, though now they are very successful and have a great life path. Hence, negatively impacted core beliefs are the most common cause of anxiety and are often caused by stored subconscious past trauma or bullying.