Are You Holding Stress Right Now? Let’s Find Out.

Stress is unavoidable. In small doses, it’s beneficial, helping us adapt, grow, and build resilience. But in today’s world, stress isn’t just an occasional challenge – it’s a near-constant state. 

Our society rewards overachievement and accomplishment. From an early age, we’re taught that pushing harder, working longer, and sacrificing rest are the keys to success.

We skip meals, skimp on sleep, and push through exhaustion in the name of productivity. For a while, it might feel sustainable – maybe even necessary. Some of us thrive on that rush of adrenaline, feeling almost addicted to the pressure.

But stress, left unchecked, doesn’t just exist in our minds. It lives in our bodies. And if we don’t pay attention, our bodies force us to pay attention.😳

Pause. Check-In. Where does your stress manifest?

Let’s take a moment now. Close your eyes if you can, and take a deep breath.

Where do you feel stress in your body?

Maybe your shoulders are creeping up toward your ears, or your jaw is clenched so tightly you don’t even notice anymore. 

Maybe there’s a pit in your stomach, a weight sitting on your chest, or a subtle but constant tension in your neck. Are you holding your breath without realizing it?

Most of us don’t notice these signs until they become full-blown symptoms that get in the way – persistent headaches, digestive issues, chronic pain, or sleepless nights. 

Our racing minds dominate, disconnecting us from the messages our bodies are sending. When we’re eating while sending emails, rushing from one meeting to the next, and running on empty, we won’t notice the subtle signals. 

And when we ignore these signals for too long, our bodies respond louder — with inflammation, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, or a diagnosis that feels sudden. 

Rebuilding the Mind-Body Connection

Recognizing stress is the first step in managing it. But if tuning into your body feels foreign, you’re not alone. Many of us are so conditioned to power through and get sh*t done that we’ve lost touch with the physical sensations of stress altogether.

We can feel disconnected from our body as we live in our minds all day long. So, I’d like to walk through a 2-3 minute practice to help us reconnect and tune into our bodies. The body will always clue us in to what we need but we have to slow down to catch those clues.

Let’s start small. 

Wherever you are – at your desk, in your car, standing in line, or scrolling on your phone – pause.

Take a deep breath. Drop into the body. Now as we scan through the body ask “What am I feeling?”

Move through your body, starting at your head and down to your toes.

Feel your face and jaw - is there tension? Try to release that. Check in on your shoulders and drop them from your ears. Work down through the rest of your body and try to notice what’s tight and let it go. Finally, feel your feet on the ground and take one last deep breath. 

This moment of awareness is where the shift begins.

How do you feel now that you’ve completed that? Are you more relaxed?

Feel more at peace? Or do you notice that there is more ease and lightness in your body? 

It really doesn’t take long to make this shift. And if done with some regularity (maybe one per day in the afternoon when we’re having that energy slump), we will regain that mind-body connection. And life feels a little more doable.

Stress will always be part of life. But when we stop ignoring the signals and start listening to our bodies, we take back control.

We build resilience. We heal.

Your body is speaking. Are you listening?

And if you want some support tuning in, we're here. Schedule a discovery call today and hear what your body is saying.