---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no physical symptoms, but…"
description: "\"“I have no physical symptoms, but psychologically there's this burden. I've got to get rid of it somehow. Of course, when I first went back to work I w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/haruki-murakami-21_fear_i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psycholo_367953.jpg"
---

#  I have no physical symptoms, but psychologically there's…

![“I have no physical symptoms, but psychologically there's this burden. I've got to get rid of it somehow. Of course, when I first went back to work I was scared the same thing might happen again. It takes positive thinking to overcome fear, otherwise you'll carry around this victim mentality forever.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/haruki-murakami-21_fear_i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psycholo_367953.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/haruki-murakami-21_fear_i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psycholo_367953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/haruki-murakami-21_fear_i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psycholo_367953.jpg)

> ““I have no physical symptoms, but psychologically there's this burden. I've got to get rid of it somehow. Of course, when I first went back to work I was scared the same thing might happen again. It takes positive thinking to overcome fear, otherwise you'll carry around this victim mentality forever.””

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker describes an invisible psychological burden that feels like a mental illness, and stresses that positive thinking is needed to avoid a victim mindset.

**In simple terms:** Mental stress can be overcome with optimism, not fear.

Key Takeaway

Adopt optimism to break the victim cycle.

Themes

mental health mindset resilience

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- returning to work
- dealing with anxiety
- building confidence

Key Concepts

psychology self‑efficacy cognitive reframing

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance optimism with realistic self‑care?
- What steps help shift from victimhood to agency?

A Different Perspective

Positive thinking alone may not address underlying trauma.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Overcome Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcome-fear/) [Psychologically Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychologically-burden-3362453/) [Symptoms Psychologically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symptoms-psychologically-3362452/) [Victim mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim-mentality/) [Work Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-scared-361825/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a hard-ass when it comes to my work, and I'm not scared to take risks. On a social level, I'm not hard at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milla-jovovich/i-m-a-hard-ass-when-it-comes-to-my-work-and-i-m-not-scared-to-take/)

[Milla Jovovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milla-jovovich/)

> [I need to work with people who are kind and giving. I can't work with someone I'm scared of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-williams/i-need-to-work-with-people-who-are-kind-and-giving-i-can-t-work-with/)

[Ashley Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-williams/)

> [I mean, they censor your work when they're scared of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-acker/i-mean-they-censor-your-work-when-they-re-scared-of-it/)

[Kathy Acker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-acker/)

> [The bureaucrats tremble because they don't perform. In the past nobody checked their work. Now that I do it they are scared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayawati/the-bureaucrats-tremble-because-they-don-t-perform-in-the-past-nobody/)

[Mayawati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayawati/)

> [“Don't be scared of the person who admits a work which has done, be scared of the person who does the work and denies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaran-ihsan-salih/don-t-be-scared-of-the-person-who-admits-a-work-which-has-done-be/)

[Kamaran Ihsan Salih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaran-ihsan-salih/)

> [At the beginning of me getting out of rehab and thinking about going back to work, I was scared because I didn't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldust/at-the-beginning-of-me-getting-out-of-rehab-and-thinking-about-going/)

[Goldust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldust/)

> [“The problem that we have with a victim mentality is that we forget to see the blessings of the day. Because of this, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/the-problem-that-we-have-with-a-victim-mentality-is-that-we-forget-to/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [“There is a fine line between compassion and a victim mentality. Compassion though is a healing force and comes from a place of kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronnie-ware/there-is-a-fine-line-between-compassion-and-a-victim-mentality/)

[Bronnie Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronnie-ware/)

> [“As I'd seen over and again, people who see themselves as victims sometimes don't notice when they become oppressors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souad-mekhennet/as-i-d-seen-over-and-again-people-who-see-themselves-as-victims/)

[Souad Mekhennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/souad-mekhennet/)

> [“You owe yourself everything you expect from others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-verd/you-owe-yourself-everything-you-expect-from-others/)

[Nicky Verd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-verd/)

> [“Where I had felt a victim, I had become a determiner by recognizing I had choices. When considering a purchase, I stopped saying, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriah-mountain-dreamer/where-i-had-felt-a-victim-i-had-become-a-determiner-by-recognizing-i/)

[Oriah Mountain Dreamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriah-mountain-dreamer/)

> [“Do not be an accomplice to the enemy by settling for the victim mentality. Choose liberty and walk in victory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/do-not-be-an-accomplice-to-the-enemy-by-settling-for-the-victim/)

[Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/)

> [There is no victim mentality whatsoever in Texas. In Austin we are hyper aware of the existing freedom of American stand-up comedy and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hinchcliffe/there-is-no-victim-mentality-whatsoever-in-texas-in-austin-we-are/)

[Tony Hinchcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hinchcliffe/)

> [“Don’t ever feel sorry for yourself. Don’t ever seek pity from other people. Don’t ever play the victim, even if you are one. Why?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hawkins/don-t-ever-feel-sorry-for-yourself-don-t-ever-seek-pity-from-other/)

[John Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hawkins/)

> [“There are two different kinds of people in the world. There are people who instinctively look for every chance to be a “victim” and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hawke/there-are-two-different-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-there-are-people/)

[Christopher Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hawke/)

## More by Haruki Murakami

> [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

[Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More Fear quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/)

[M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/)

> [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/)

[Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/)

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/)

[Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/)

> [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/)

[Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

[Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I have no physical symptoms, but psychologically there's this burden. I've got to get rid of it somehow. Of course, when I first went back to work I was scared the same thing might happen again. It takes positive thinking to overcome fear, otherwise you'll carry around this victim mentality forever.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psychologically-there-s-this-burden-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fear"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psychologically-there-s-this-burden-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/haruki-murakami-21_fear_i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psycholo_367953.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/haruki-murakami-21_fear_i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psycholo_367953.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/haruki-murakami-21_fear_i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psycholo_367953.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have no physical symptoms, but psychologically there's this burden. I've got to get rid of it somehow. Of…” — Haruki Murakami",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Haruki Murakami",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I have no physical symptoms, but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psychologically-there-s-this-burden-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-have-no-physical-symptoms-but-psychologically-there-s-this-burden-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
