The Phrase Was Meant to Reassure You. It Backfired.

When someone tells you “it’s all in your head,” what they often mean is:

“I can’t explain it.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“This doesn’t fit in my algorithm.”

But what you hear is:

“Your experience is invalid.”

“Your symptoms are exaggerated.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

The medical system may not mean to gaslight you—but it does it with clinical precision.

Women's Pain Is Still Understudied, Underdiagnosed, and Undervalued.

It takes an average of 7-10 years to get diagnosed with endometriosis.

Autoimmune diseases are misdiagnosed as anxiety in women all the time.

Hormonal imbalances get chalked up to stress, personality, or parenting.

And don’t even get started on libido. Fatigue. Gut health. PMDD.

If the labs come back “normal,” you’re left holding your symptoms with nowhere to put them.

The Nervous System Lives in the Head. That Doesn't Make It Less Physical.

Your brain is real.

Your hormones are real.

Your cortisol, your neurotransmitters, your cycle phases—real.

If your symptoms are influenced by your mind, that doesn’t make them fake. It makes them human.

You’re not a machine. You’re not a malfunction.

You’re a person whose reality deserves to be believed.

Even if it’s complex. Even if it doesn’t show up on a test.

You're Not Crazy. You're Under-Resourced.

You don’t need to get louder.

You don’t need to self-diagnose at 2am on Reddit.

You don’t need to accept “normal” as the end of the conversation.

What you need is a provider who knows how to listen—and a system that gives them the time to do it.

Until then, hold on to this truth:

Your symptoms are real. Your body is real. Your experience is real.

It’s not all in your head. But even if it lives there—it still matters.