Stress Has A Funny Way Of Showing Up In The Body

Before you read any further, pop the kettle on. I'll wait. 😆

Right so, you know the way sometimes you think you're coping alright… and then your body tells a completely different story?

Your shoulders are tight all the time.

Your jaw aches and you don't even realise you've been clenching it.

You're waking up tired.

Your headaches are becoming more regular.

Your patience is shorter than usual.

You sit down at night exhausted… but your brain still won't properly switch off.

Honestly, I see this so often with women. There's always something needing to be done. Work, kids, dinner, ageing parents, messages to reply to, laundry, life admin, trying to remember everyone else's appointments while forgetting half your own 🙈

After a while, the body starts treating all that stress like it's normal. Until eventually it starts asking for attention in other ways.

For some women it's poor sleep.

For others it's tension headaches, jaw pain, tight shoulders, digestive issues, skin flare-ups, increased anxiety, fatigue, brain fog or feeling irritated all the time without really knowing why.

And because it creeps in slowly, most people don't even realise how much tension they've been carrying until they finally stop for a minute.

One conversation I seem to have regularly in the cabin goes something like this:

"I'm grand."

Then five minutes later we're talking about poor sleep, headaches, jaw tension, brain fog, digestive issues and feeling exhausted all the time.

We're funny creatures. 😆

Now here's where my inner science nerd gets excited. Deep inside your brain is a little structure called the amygdala. I like to call it the smoke alarm. Its job is to keep you safe.

The problem is that it doesn't know the difference between a tiger chasing you through the woods and an argument with your partner, financial worries, a difficult email, work stress, family responsibilities or lying awake at 3am wondering if you've offended somebody.

To your amygdala, stress is stress. When it senses a threat, it sounds the alarm.

Your heart rate increases.

Your blood pressure rises.

Your muscles tighten.

Your breathing becomes quicker and shallower.

Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released.

And the thinking part of your brain starts to take a back seat.

Which explains a lot, doesn't it? 😆

Ever walked into a room and forgotten why you went in there?

Read the same email three times?

Forgotten a name you should definitely know?

Opened the fridge and stared into it hoping inspiration might strike?

Your brain isn't failing you, it's prioritising your survival.

The fascinating part is that stress doesn't just affect the brain. It affects the whole body.

Headaches.

Migraines.

Jaw pain and teeth grinding.

Neck and shoulder tension.

Back pain.

Digestive issues.

IBS flare-ups.

Acid reflux.

Changes in appetite.

Poor sleep.

Fatigue.

Brain fog.

Skin flare-ups.

Increased inflammation.

Higher blood pressure.

More frequent coughs, colds and infections.

Even hormone balance can be affected by chronic stress.

That's why I say, stress has such a funny way of showing up in the body. We don't always join the dots. Take a cold sore for example. Most of will stick on the cream and get on with our day, which makes perfect sense. But if stress was the thing that caused the flare in the first place, then the stress is still sitting there in the background, wondering how else to get your attention.

The same is true for headaches, poor sleep, jaw tension, digestive issues, muscle aches and a whole pile of other things. We treat the symptom because that's the bit that's annoying us, but sometimes it's worth asking, "Why is my body doing this in the first place?". Because if stress is part of the reason dealing with the symptom without looking at the stress is a bit like putting a plaster over the warning light of the car. The light is gone, but the reason is came on is still there.

Now here's the bit I find most interesting. For many people, stress becomes normal, almost like the new baseline.

Not because they enjoy it. Not because they choose it.

Simply because they've been living with it for so long.

The body gets used to being busy.

The mind gets used to being busy.

Being alert starts to feel normal.

Which means the opposite can start to feel unfamiliar, uncomfortable even.

Rest.

Stillness.

Quiet.

Doing absolutely nothing.

I've lost count of the number of people who tell me they desperately want to relax. Then the minute they sit down:

They feel restless

Guilty.

Fidgety.

They suddenly remember seventeen things they should be doing.

For some people, proper restorative rest has become uncomfortable.

Not because they're doing anything wrong. Simply because their nervous system has become far more familiar with doing than being.

So I've created my new monthly Rest Workshops.

The first one all about:

Why Can't I Switch Off?

Because it's one of the questions I hear most often.

People are exhausted. Yet they can't rest.

Tired. Yet they can't sleep.

Desperate for a break. Yet uncomfortable the minute they stop.

During the workshop we'll explore what's happening in the brain and body when that internal smoke alarm gets stuck blaring, why switching off can feel so hard and practical ways to begin turning the volume down.

Find Out More

For now, take a look at your shoulders.

Notice your jaw.

Take one slow breath.

And finish your cuppa before rushing off to do the next thing.

Tamara x