Mental-health coach Joanne Smith explains how self-critical thoughts activate the same brain regions that process pain and emotions, creating real physical symptoms. These aren't signs of hidden illness but effects of thought patterns. Free 30-minute counseling sessions are available through volunteer practitioners.
Because again, that raises the perception of there is a real threat, there's a real danger, like Jo's giving herself a hard time, she's being cruel on herself. And the brain, the way the brain works is that even that self-talk, it can, it's the same part of the brain that handles the emotions as to physical symptoms and pain. So that part of the brain can generate the symptoms just purely by those thoughts coming in, like self-criticism and these things like this. So actually, please know that you can get better, and it starts with the clarity. So definitely advise you to speak to somebody, whether that's me or another person. There's some— there's a lot when you get in this small world who will happily offer free 30-minute sessions just to talk through with you and help you to get the clarity there, okay? There's a lot of help out there, a lot of people offering that for free.
