Stress in Your Body
I find it fascinating how stress is affecting our lives today. Our minds are overstimulated daily with new information and on top of this we often attempt to push unwanted feelings out of our awareness creating more stress. I recently read an article by Sean Grover, the author of When The Kids Call The Shots, regarding tension areas in your body for unwanted feelings and resonated with me in many ways so I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy the reading!
Lower Back relates to ANGER if you sit on frustration, the lower back is a common place for storing repressed anger. For relief, learn to constructively articulate frustration and address conflicts with others in the moment.
Stomach & Intestines relates to FEAR when you’re afraid, you tend to tense your stomach and intestines. Sayings such things as, “I’m sick to my stomach” is usually bodily responses to conflict. The more you deny or repress fears, the more physical reactions you’re likely to manifest. Begin by acknowledging your trepidation and talking it through with someone you trust. Consider all your choices and outcomes. The more you can express the fear in words, the less of a hold it will have on your body.
Heart & Chest relates to HURT, mostly linked to love and relationships. If you have been hurt do not ignore your broken heart. Mourn the relationship and honor your sadness. After this release, the tension in your chest will finally lift away.
Headache relates to LOSS OF CONTROL If you’re a major or minor control freak, you’re in for a real challenge. No matter how strong-willed you might be, an emphasis on control will eventually lead to burnout and splitting headaches. Not all difficulties in life can be solved by intellect or trying to control everything. In fact, many problems are exacerbated by controlling tendencies. Letting go, accepting what you can and can’t control, and developing a mindfulness practice are the steps you need to take to cure your headache habit.
Neck /Shoulder Tension relates to BURDENS & RESPONSIBILITIES Shouldering too many responsibilities is a pain in the neck. If you suffer from neck and shoulder tension, it’s likely that your overly burdened. Rather than ask for help from others, you’re likely to do everything yourself. This most often leads to neck and shoulder tightness. Learn to delegate, ask for support, decide what is really worth taking on, and for goodness sake, share responsibilities with others.
Fatigue relates to RESENTMENTS Resentment stresses your entire body and does more damage to you than the people you resent. Blaming others, playing the victim, reliving the events–these are the empty calories of self-expression. Resentments keep you from living in the moment and experiencing the benefits of being present. When you focus on those who wronged you, you are giving in them free real estate in your head. Instead, try to focus on forgiveness or at the very least, moving on. Strive for more fulfilling relationships, add a healthy dose of self-care, and you’ll feel years younger in no time.
Numbness relates to TRAUMA When we’re overwhelmed by an event, we tend to numb our feelings. This is our psyche’s way to disassociate from overpowering pain or danger. Traumatic events are not always life-threatening—they can result from a brush with real or imagined danger or a history of childhood abuse or neglect. Over time, if you don’t process the trauma, the memory of it gets lodged in your body. As a result, you deaden your feelings when vulnerable; trusting others is impossible; and true intimacy is lost. Any situation that makes you feel unsafe causes you great confusion; you freeze up or go blank. The first step toward freeing yourself from trauma is recognizing the power it has over you and asking for help.
Breathing Difficulties relates to ANXIETY Breathing difficulties, a panic attack that leaves you gasping for air, a suffocating feeling when anxious. Anxiety is caused most of the times by overwhelming feelings and stress. Freeing bottled-up feelings is like sucking in a dose of fresh oxygen. It’s refreshing and liberating! Practice deep breaths to control oxygen going to your brain. Meditation and yoga are also great options.
Voice & Throat Problems relates to OPPRESSION Oppressed people are not allowed to have a voice. If you grew up in an oppressive atmosphere, speaking your mind or expressing your needs was dangerous. You also carry around a harsh inner critic. As a result, as an adult you tend to withhold feelings. When you have the impulse to speak up, you resort to your childhood tendency to silence yourself and repress your voice. This clash between the impulse to speak and the impulse to withhold causes much tension and often manifests in throat and voice problems. Journal writing is a great way to expose your inner critic and start talking back to it. Also reading poetry out loud (poetry has a profound connection to the unconscious) is a way of gaining confidence in your voice. Hopefully, you will soon realize you have the right to be heard.
Insomnia relates to LOSS OF SELF . When you go through life-changing events–good or bad–people tend to lose sleep. You experience anxiety when your life circumstances are in flux. This can happen during times of stress or times of great personal growth. For me, sleepless is most often associated with the fear of the unknown. Write down your fears or, better yet, talk them out with a close friend. Learn to work with change, rather than repress your fear of it. When you work with it, you’ll be able to hit the pillow and have sweet dreams.
When you take better care of your feelings, you take better care of yourself and those you love. You come to appreciate and value your relationships more. Take the time to consider how you manage your feelings and what your psychosomatic pain is trying to tell you. Not only will you feel happier and less stressed, many studies show you might even live longer.