Do you remember when someone told you bad news and you felt your stomach sink like a concrete block dropped from a skyscraper? That’s the emotions-body link.
Our emotions, or feelings, and physical bodies are closely tied. Emotions often set off changes in our bodies, and what we feel in our bodies can often affect our emotions. Knowing the deep link between our emotions and bodies helps us move from being reactive to responsive.
Being mindful of the feelings stored in our bodies will uncover the untrue thoughts that block us from a flourishing life.
Our bodies release “stress hormones” when we are stressed. The stressful feelings that linger in our lives will eventually cause permanent damage, in addition to short term, if not released. When you begin to understand this connection, you’ve found a key to a thriving life.
Not sure where to start identifying the emotion-body connection in your life?
Let’s begin with some easy, outward behaviors that may suggest you harbor internal, emotional wounds or pain or are working to avoid those pains.
I’ve compiled a list (not an exhaustive one) of some physical habits you might have noticed yourself doing or someone who spends time with you may have mentioned.
Which of these habits do you notice in yourself, if any?
1. Fidgeting
Have you ever found yourself twirling your hair or tapping your foot? Even little movements in your hands and feet. Often, this fidgeting is a clue that you’re feeling uneasy or uncomfortable. It’s your body’s way of telling you that you are attempting to deal with nerves and stress.
2. Avoiding Eye Contact
Avoiding eye contact is a common behavior when feeling intimidated or exposed. It serves as a sign that your body is trying to shield itself from the perception of others, whether due to insecurities, fears, or simply not wanting to be noticed.
By not meeting someone’s gaze, you might be subconsciously trying to protect your inner emotions from being discovered or judged.
This may be such a natural posture for you that you don’t notice it. But watch for it. We’re not here to blame or shame anyone. But we can’t fix what we don’t face, so let’s watch for it.
This habit decreases the joy in our life because it can hinder communication and connection with others.
3. Unhealthy posture
Have you ever seen a person with hunched shoulders or shoulders that are raised high, almost touching their ears? Or perhaps you’ve caught yourself doing it too? They may be physically reacting to an emotional wound or emotions they are currently feeling.
Think about how your posture shifts when you are feeling stressed. When we experience negative emotions, our muscles tend to tighten, causing our normally healthy posture to deteriorate. It’s as if, without fully realizing it, we are trying to shield ourselves from something.
4. Freeze, Fight, Flight Response
When life gets tough, it’s not rare for our bodies to react by freezing, fighting, or fleeing.
Freeze – Feels as if you are trapped in a specific area of your body. You might notice numbness, coldness, or a stiff sensation. Your limbs may feel unusually heavy, your heart rate might slow down, and breathing can become shallow or might even hold your breath. This often comes with an overwhelming feeling of dread or a sense that something bad is about to happen.
Fight – You might tighten your jaw or fists, clench your teeth, feel a desire to strike out physically such as kicking or punching, glaring, raised voice, feelings of nausea or knots in your stomach, thoughts that could possibly hurt someone or themselves. Emotionally consumed by anger or rage.
Flight – You might experience anxiety, shallow breathing, and an inability to focus. The eyes might dart around, and you could feel restless or fidgety. There’s often a sense of feeling trapped, tenseness, and overall restlessness in your limbs. There is a deep yearning to run away and escape. (Check out our blog on Drive Stress Away.
5. Cracking Knuckles
Many folks tend to crack their knuckles. Even though there isn’t any evidence it is harmful to the joints, cracking knuckles might be a “red alert” that you feel bored or stressed and need to find a constructive outlet for those feelings.
6. Crossed Arms
A lot of folks think crossing arms is just comfy, but it’s curious how different things come up in a body awareness talk. Some feelings that pop up include feeling “vulnerable” and “awkward.” People also say things like, “I don’t know what to do with my hands,” and “I feel exposed.” When we cross our arms, we’re actually shutting ourselves off and “protecting” ourselves from people near us. This can stop us from getting help from others or making connections with them.
If you find a habit of yours on the list, don’t despair. With help, you can discover the root cause of the behavior. Finding that root will help you, not only remove the habit, but may open up pathways of healing.
While you are “just cracking my knuckles” you’re actually releasing chemicals that tap into the body’s long-term muscle memory associated with stress.
The chemicals our bodies make when we face stress can impact us in many ways. Apart from the six ways already mentioned, here are a few more examples of how our physical systems can be affected by stress. This shows how broad the effects of stress hormones can be on our overall health. Understanding this can help us better care for our bodies by managing stress more effectively.
Whether it’s our heart rate, digestion, or muscle function, each part of our body reacts, proving that stress is not just a state of mind but a whole-body experience.
Physical Systems Affected By Stress
- Aches and pains: Ever notice more headaches or back pain when you’re stressed? That’s your body telling you “Hold on! we need to address this!”.
- Stomach issues: Feeling queasy or having an upset stomach. Stress affects your digestion, often making you feel bad from the inside out.
- Body mass: Sudden changes in weight gain or weight loss
- Energy Levels: Loss of energy can be due to negative emotions that wear you out. Negative emotions like sadness or anger can really wear you out.
- Cardiovascular: Chest pains and high blood pressure
Additional Areas of Concern
- Sleep: Lying awake at night? Negative thoughts could be keeping you up. It’s hard to rest well when your mind won’t stop racing.
- Respiratory: Difficulty breathing, Fear can make your breaths short and quick.
- Skin: Rashes, picking, or itching is a common reaction when you feel tense.
- Autoimmune:When negative emotions happen, it can make your body attack itself, leading to autoimmune disease.
- Gastrointestinal: Ulcers are sores on your stomach or small intestine that can form from bacteria or when you worry a lot. Anxiety can contribute to ulcer development and worsen their symptoms because of increased stress hormones which escalates stomach acid production.
- Vestibular: Feeling ill, woozy, or unsteady when things get too much? You’re not alone. It’s common to feel this way when overwhelmed.
- Reproductive: Issues with the menstrual cycle or even in menopause may be intensified if negative feelings and past hurts are ignored.
It only takes one negative emotion for your body to start causing damage.
How many signs did you spot? If you said, “I have none,” Wow! That’s great! But most of us experience some physical and emotional effects of stress. Which one tends to show up when you encounter stress?
Now, what if we changed things up?
Picture yourself standing up straight, pulling your shoulders back, lifting your head up high, relaxing your arms, and moving with ease. How does that make you feel? What does this exercise do for you? Try it out and see. How exposed, open, or just uneasy does it make you feel?
If you recognize signs that your body is storing negative emotions, don’t stress. We all go through times when we keep storing feelings in our bodies.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind – recognizing the stress and your reaction is your first step towards making a change.
The National Library of Medicine concluded that,
“Positive changes in emotional valence were associated with improvements in physical condition via decreases in pain and fatigue, while negative changes in emotional valence were associated with the aggravation of pain and fatigue.”
These body language signs are just that – signs. They aren’t fixed. With some self-knowing, help in body knowing, and ways to let go of stressful feelings, you can make changes to experience a full life instead of just getting by.
When you know about the harmful feelings and see where they live in your body, you are more in sync with what your body and heart need. On the other hand, if you don’t pay attention to your body, you might miss the signs that show these deadly emotions. This could lead to ongoing stress and worry, which could damage your health.
Want to know more? Make a complimentary appointment.
Want to read more? Check out the book “The Body Keeps Score” by Bessel Van Der Kolk.
