What if depression doesn’t just affect your emotions… but your body too?

In this solo episode of Beyond My Diagnosis, Michele Weston explores the very real physical symptoms of depression—especially for those living with chronic autoimmune or neurological conditions like MS.

This conversation goes beyond the common understanding of depression as sadness or hopelessness and dives into how depression can manifest physically through fatigue, pain, digestive issues, headaches, inflammation, and more.

“The research shows that depression can manifest as physical pain too.”

Michele shares insights from years of living with MS and explains why people with chronic conditions may experience depression differently—and why these symptoms are often overlooked.

This episode is not about self-diagnosing.

It’s about awareness, understanding, and recognizing when your body may be trying to tell you something.

💡 Inside this episode, Michele discusses:

• Why depression is more than emotional sadness
• The connection between chronic illness, inflammation, and depression
• How fatigue and low energy can signal more than stress
• Why depression may lower your pain tolerance
• The link between depression and body aches, back pain, and headaches
• How gut health and digestive issues may affect mental health
• Why depression can literally change how you see the world
• The relationship between stress, inflammation, and neurological health
• Why talking about mental health should not be taboo
• The importance of seeking professional support and treatment

🧠 Physical symptoms Michele explores include:

• Persistent fatigue or exhaustion
• Muscle aches and chronic pain
• Back pain and headaches
• Digestive issues and stomach discomfort
• Brain fog and concentration issues
• Changes in vision perception or “grayness”
• Increased inflammation responses

“Pain is another way your brain communicates.”

Michele also explains how emotional distress can show up physically in the body and why addressing mental health is just as important as addressing physical health.

⚠️ An important reminder

This episode is informational and reflective—not medical advice.

Michele encourages listeners to:

• Speak with their doctor or medical provider
• Explore psychotherapy or counseling if needed
• Pay attention to patterns in both physical and emotional symptoms
• Remember that seeking help is not weakness

“It’s never embarrassing to talk about depression.”

🌿 What Michele wants listeners to remember

You are not alone.

Depression can happen alongside chronic illness, life stress, grief, burnout, hormonal changes, and inflammation.

And support matters.

Whether through therapy, medical care, lifestyle changes, mindfulness, or trusted conversations, healing starts with acknowledging what’s happening.

🔗 Stay Connected with Michele Weston

micheleweston.substack.com

Transcript

0:00

(Music) Hello, this is Michele Weston with Beyond My Diagnosis. Here's another subject I wanted to talk to you about so low to be able to sort of explore and talk about something that many of us with a chronic condition, like an autoimmune chronic condition experience. And that is the symptoms that prove that depression is not just in your head. So how do you manage depression? Well, most of the time, over my 25 years with MS, we don't always pair depression with physical pain. But there's been a lot of research that shows that depression can really hurt, like physically hurt. Depression can actually cause body aches, stomach pains, etc. And when I say that, we always think depression is associated with mental illness, mental health, with emotional pain, like being sad or crying, feelings of hopelessness. The research shows that depression can manifest as physical pain too. So those of us with a chronic condition may be experiencing that. And I wanted to bring this to the forefront of Beyond My Diagnosis to talk about something that maybe those around you or you or your caregivers, your loved ones haven't really explored or known about it. Because most of the time in most cultures, it's taboo to talk openly about mental health, which it shouldn't be, because it happens to everyone. Different cultures may understand depression differently. I think of my Asian American friends, they're more likely to describe and understand depression as physical symptoms. So this can influence what kind of treatment they seek. Acupuncture, starting tai chi, meridians, using Chinese herbs, a different way to work through that. But in Western understand this depression, it's normally a internal mood thing. But keeping these physical symptoms in mind is just as important as the emotional effects of depression. One thing is important, it's a great way to keep in check with your body and so physical symptoms can signal when a depressive period is about to begin or clue you in, maybe whether or not you may be experiencing depression at that time. And physical symptoms are very, very real and they can be detrimental to our overall well-being. So I wanted to bring seven of them for you to just consider when you're not feeling well, when you may be blue, when you may feel like you have depression. And the first one would be fatigue or constant lower energy levels. Yes, with MS, with a lot of neurological conditions, we have something called neurofatigue. That's a neurological fatigue because our whole neurological system is being challenged all the time. So it's a different kind of fatigue, but still fatigue seems to be the most common symptom in depression. Occasionally, we all experience lower energy levels or we feel tired and moving slowly or sluggish. And we wanna stay in bed a little more, we wanna watch TV instead of going to work. Depression fatigue is more consistent and severe than an occasional dip of energy. So we often believe exhaustion stems from stress. So depression can also cause fatigue. Depression related fatigue also causes concentration problems. It causes feelings of irritability and apathy. I read some stuff from a doctor who is with the Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital. She said that depressed individuals often experience non-restorative sleep. That means that they feel more slow, more sluggish, even after getting a full night of sleep. But because many physical illnesses like infections and viruses can also cause fatigue, it can be challenging to discern whether or not that exhaustion is related to depression. One way to tell, well, everyday fatigue is a sign of this mental illness or symptoms like sadness, feeling hopeless. A lack of pleasure doing day to day activities and enjoying things. That may also be present when you're depressed. But another challenge is that even during treatment, fatigue can be a residual symptom that continues to pose a challenge. So if you're treating depression, if you're addressing that but feeling fatigued, do speak to your doctor about that symptom. Another symptom of depression physically can be decreased pain tolerance. So everything hurts more. Does it feel like your nerves are on fire and yet you can't find any physical reason for your pain? As it turns out, depression and pain often coexist. There is a big study, 2010 and I think 2014, 2015, it showed that pain has a greater impact on people who are depressed. So these two symptoms don't have a clear cause and effect relationship, but it's important to evaluate them, especially if your doctor recommends medication. And it's important to realize that if you're using antidepressants, they may not only relieve depression, but they may also act as an analgesic that combats pain. So consider that and talk to your medical team. Again, I am a coach, I am not on the medical side, but I also am a doctor's daughter and I believe in that integrative quality of marrying medicine and integrative tools like coaches and other tools and strategies together. So another symptom of a depression could be back pain or your muscles aching all over. And you might feel okay in the morning, but once you're at work or you're at school or college, your back starts to hurt. Now, of course, it could be an uncomfortable chair, could be stress, could be depression, although they're often associated with bad posture and injuries. Backaches can also be a symptom of psychological distress. So more research has found that there's a direct association between depression and backaches. And even psychologists and psychiatrists have long believed that emotional issues can cause chronic aches and pains in the body. But we continue to do more research to find the specificities of that between depression and the body's inflammatory response. And we've found even newer studies since 2020, 2022 that inflammation in the body may have something to do with the neurocircuits in our brain. It's thought that inflammation may interrupt brain signals and therefore we may have a role in depression and how we treat it. Think about those of us who have a chronic autoimmune system that is more inflammatory. You can see how there could be pain and that inflammatory system could be agitated or aggravated. Another symptom to think about, and don't take all of these symptoms and start putting them in labels. This is an opportunity for you to think that, God, I've been feeling a certain way, and I wonder if this is depression for you to be your own AI, for you to not run to Google or look on chat GPT. But to think about how's my body feeling? Almost everybody experiences occasional headaches. They're very common and sometimes we just write them off as nothing serious. It could be a stressful work situation. It could be a conflict with somebody who's your husband, your wife. It can be a conflict with somebody at work that could even trigger these headaches. It could be environmental that could be triggering headaches. It could be a cold that could be triggering headaches. However, I want you to think about if your headache may not always be induced by stress, especially if you've tolerated your coworker in the past. If you notice that there's a switch to daily headaches, it could be a sign of depression. So that's different than my sister has migraine headaches. Those are very different. That's different than depression related headaches. They don't necessarily impair one's functioning, but this type of headache may feel like a mild throbbing cessation, especially around your eyebrows, your forehead. And while these headaches have helped by it overcome, using Tylenol, using advil, Aleve, Motrin, they typically reoccur more regularly. And sometimes chronic tension headaches can be a symptom of major depressive disorder. But headaches alone are an indication that your pain may be psychological. People with depression often experience additional symptoms like sadness. Again, feelings of irritability, decreased energy. Another symptom that's very interesting to think about is, do you find that the world looks a little more blurry? Well, with depression, it may cause the world to look more gray and more bleak in several studies have suggested that mental health concerns may affect the way we see the world. So they found in a study in 2020, 2021 that over 100 participants were viewing objects on a textured background and people with depression texted lower than controlled. And the researchers noted that this is likely not due to a change in the eyesight, but tied how the brain processes the information coming from the eyes. So this might explain why depression can make the world look a little bit hazy. This is when I've experienced stomach pain or uneasiness in the abdomen. Remember, it's our second brain. So that feeling, that sinking feeling in your stomach is one of the most recognizable signs of depression. However, when your stomach starts to cramp, it's easy to write it off as gas, menstrual pain, you could have GERD. The pain that worsens, especially when stress arises, may be a sign of depression as well. Harvard did study that discomfort like having cramps, bloating, nausea may be a sign of poor mental health. So what's the link? According to the articles that have been printed, depression can cause or may be a result of an inflamed digestive system with pain that's easily mistaken for IBD or irritable bowel syndrome or irritable bowel disease. And doctors and scientists as well sometimes refer to the gut as the second brain, as I pointed out, because they've found that there's a connection between gut health and mental well-being, which I've talked about before with others and also myself. Our stomachs are full of good bacteria. And if that imbalance is off with good bacteria, their symptoms of anxiety and depression may arise. So again, how can you help yourself? Eating a balanced diet and improving your gut health may also enhance your mood. But again, more studies are being looked at, are being explored. Digestive problems over irregular bowel schedules is also important, like getting constipation or diarrhea, which is already uncomfortable, embarrassing anyway. And it's sometimes caused by food poisoning. Sometimes it's gastrointestinal viruses that you get. So it's easy to assume that discomfort stems from a physical illness. But emotions like sadness and anxiety and overwhelm can disrupt our digestive tract. And the link between depression and digestive problems appears to be bidirectional. So that means that we're seeing in reports and research studies that there's an elevated risk of experiencing one if diagnosed with the other. So it's unclear whether or not they're connected. But I want you to just think about whether or not you're having irregular bowel schedules or digestive issues and experiencing a sense of depression. Pain is another way your brain communicates. So if you're feeling discomfort, identifying and talking about distressing emotions like sadness or anger, shame. This could cause feelings to manifest differently in the body. If you're experiencing any of these physical symptoms for a prolonged period of time, again, make an appointment with your doctor or a nurse practitioner. And remember that depression can be caused by a variety of factors such as genetics. My sister gets migraines. We had members of our family that did get migraines. It can be exposed to childhood trauma or stress. It can be your brain chemistry. People with depression often need professional help. Psychotherapy, medication to really fully recover. And that doesn't mean that medicine is always the answer. Psychotherapy and talk therapy is a great way to explore that. So make sure that you're exploring things and making sure that you're diving into ways for you to handle depression. If you're feeling that way, go see an expert. And I hope this gives you more food for thought. I wish you well. I look forward to seeing you on Beyond My Diagnosis. And bring you some more thoughts about things that happen to those of the chronic condition that manifest and that we should always talk about because you're never alone. There's always others who are experiencing it. And if it can help you, that's important. It's very, very important to keep remembering you're not alone. And talk to your doctors, talk to your friends. Make sure that you're not just living in a bubble. And it's never embarrassing to talk about depression. If you don't have someone who you can talk about, that's a friend or family member, look to psychology, psychiatry. Look to social workers and find someone to help you explore that depression. It's not just a blue moon, especially when you have a chronic condition. Have a great week and I look forward to talking to you about other subjects for living beyond our diagnosis. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Beyond My Diagnosis. If something we talked about today resonated with you, if you're craving deeper understanding, better support, we just wanna know you're not alone on this journey. Make sure to subscribe to my free substack at Micheleweston.substack.com. M-I-C-H-E-L-E-W-E-S-T-O-N.substack.com. That's where I share personal insights, expert takeaways, and extra resources to help you stay informed, empowered, and one step closer to the clarity you deserve. And if you found this episode helpful, leave a review or someone who needs to hear it. Your voice helps this message go further. Until next time, keep asking questions, keep trusting yourself, and keep going beyond the diagnosis.(Music)