Comment on (HA trigger warning) I need to understand if these symptoms are normal

Chronic stress and anxiety causes tons of physical symptoms as well as mental and emotional distress.

• Muscle tension, weakness, aches and pains, cramps, muscle twitches, jaw clenching
• Chest pain or racing heart, heart palpitations, pounding heart, audible heartbeat
• Hair loss, particularly on the crown of the head (telogen effluvium)
• Body-focused repetitive behaviors - skin/scab picking, lip/nail/cheek biting, hair pulling, bouncing of legs or wringing hands, tapping fingers, fidgeting, etc.
• Fatigue, exhaustion, irritability, difficulty focusing, forgetfulness or trouble with memory, insomnia, nightmares or trouble sleeping, frequent sleep disturbances
• Persistent feeling of lump in throat or tightness in throat, known as globus sensation or oropharynx disorder
• Paresthesia: numbness, tingling and burning sensations, pins and needles. It's connected to our troubles with muscle tension and therefore with circulation, as blood flow can become constricted by prolonged muscle tension. Moving more can help, changing position frequently, and sometimes it's worsened by Vitamin B deficiency so adding a B Complex can help. 5, 6, and 12 are most useful.
• Headaches, dizziness, weakness, light-headedness, sweating or shaking
• High blood pressure
• Rashes or hives
• Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
• Hot flashes or chills, feeling overheated or very cold
• Nausea, vomiting, gas, bloating, acid reflux, stomach or digestive problems including diarrhea and constipation, lack of appetite or increased appetite
• Weak immune system, often getting colds for example

Muscle tension is one of the main hallmarks of generalized anxiety disorder - one of the six symptoms required for diagnosis, actually. It manifests in painless twitches or spasms, cramps and soreness. When you are on edge and anxious, your muscles are also tense and prolonged tension leads to pain from the strain on your muscles - just like how working out leads to soreness. I have GAD but also lifelong cerebral palsy which means tense, painful muscles are my default setting. These things may help when it becomes painful:

Localized Pain

• CBD oil or cream; icy/hot patches; cream with lidocaine; gentle, frequent stretches - stop when it hurts, repeat every few minutes; ginger-based muscle rub; Medistik

Widespread Pain

• magnesium, potassium and Vitamin D3 supplementation; Cramp Medic; Dr. Rigg's Rhelief; Doloex (just in case you're on antidepressants, since NSAIDs are unsafe with antidepressants), but something like this or acetaminophen/Tylenol (cleared by my psychiatrist) would be less likely to raise risk of ulcers or hemorrhages than NSAIDs; hot bath with epsom salts or mustard powder; gentle, frequent stretches - stop when it hurts, repeat every few minutes

Don't rule out a problem with your pillow or mattress exacerbating the problem, too, if it's painful for long periods.