A warm burst or surge feeling in your stomach can happen for a whole variety of reasons, however it has also been reported as a symptom of anxiety.
Why Can Anxiety Cause A Warm Burst Feeling In The Stomach?
As with a lot of physical symptoms of anxiety, the triggers lie within our caveman brain. This is the survival-driven part of our brain that our newer, rational cortex grew on top of. Its primary concern is keeping us alive, so when our brain perceives a threat, it releases the stress chemicals cortisol and adrenaline and activates the stress response called the fight, flight or freeze response.
The stress response triggers physical changes which can result in your feeling a warm burst in your stomach. For example, it can cause your body to send blood towards your stomach, to aid digestion, giving a sort of warm bloodrush. It can also cause your muscles to tighten, including in and around the stomach, leading to soreness and this bursting sensation.
How Can I Stop This Symptom?
As this symptom stems from our fight, flight or freeze response, the main thing that we can do to combat it is to focus on our breathing, adopting anxiety-reducing breathing techniques, such as controlled diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing. This should calm our central nervous system, distract our mind from the perceived threat, and deactivate our fight, flight or freeze response allowing our rational brain to kick back in and regain a semblance of control and feel the black cloud lift.
Though this will help short-term, in order to prevent the symptoms of anxiety and stress occurring in the first place, you need to manage or build strategies to tackle your anxiety and stress. There are several options available including CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), mindfulness, medication and group therapy. If you’re unsure, please contact your GP for more information.
Stomach sensations can also be caused by other factors, so talk to your doctor to find the root cause and therefore the best course of action for you.