It’s all in your head… and the rest of you
Since my anxiety has been revving high about our upcoming move (more on that in a bit), I thought it might be helpful to actually listen to the freaking advice I would give someone else in the same situation. Walk with me as we talk it out.
The smartest part of us is the stupidest when it comes to stress. While other animals will be super-duper stressed in life-or-death situations, they also do a better job of shaking it off as soon as those situations evaporate. Not us, though, pal. Humans have a knack for carrying around those fears and physiological responses around with us. And that’s where things become embodied.
The cascade begins in the brain’s threat-detection circuits and quickly activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This system works alongside the autonomic nervous system to shift the body from long-term maintenance – things like digestion, tissue repair, and immune regulation – toward short-term readiness: stress hormone release, elevated blood pressure, faster heart rate, and mobilized energy. Think of this as a dial that shifts from long-term healing to acute readiness.
There is nothing wrong – and everything right – with the acute stress response when it actually saves our asses… When we need to sprint away from ghosts or tigers or whatever.
However, adrenaline coursing through your veins will kick that 3 PM Zoom call up a notch. Or make it harder to focus on it. Personally, I have been deep in that zone. It’s provided me with plenty of catastrophizing and general chaos around sleep and focus. I’m not McLoving it. So, while it would be great to just, like, not feel stressed, I have not reached that level of inner cultivation.
So, the shorter-term impacts are already felt in recovery and mood. I’d like to stop things here because the longer-term effects bleed into memory, vigilance (speed to acute stress response), muscle tension, impaired nutrient absorption, and chronically-elevated blood pressure.
Fortunately, I’ve got a few things working for me
I’m not eating or sleeping as well as I could be but it’s also not a total dumpster fire. I’m grateful for that too.
But there’s another symptom and another skill that I’m working on right now – and something I think will interest you. Especially since it’s much less of a “thinky” theoretical practice and much more of a felt, embodied one. That’s because stress tends to light up our default muscular tensions – tight traps and necks and stiffer movement overall.
So, assuming that you’re not 100% in vacation mode and are feeling some stress right now, what’s the first thing you notice about tension in your body? What positions or movement intentions. For example, if you wanted to be ready to turn around and look over your shoulder to the scenic vistas behind you, would that help you find more balance, disrupt that tension, and otherwise have you feeling good? Can you lock those positions in with deep, slow breathing?
Next, what kinds of movements not only tick the more general box of exercise but also help you find ways to express strength and power in ways that shed unneeded physical tension? I’m talking about the kind have you feeling better after workouts. We can explore that together anytime.
Muscular tension is another way that we carry these memories of stress – and can serve as a reminder – or even become integrated into other default movement patterns. That’s why it’s nice to wiggle your shoulders and let the tension slide right off.
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