The most common areas we tend to hold stress are in the neck, shoulders, hips, hands and feet. Planning one of your stretch sessions around these areas can help calm your mind and calm your body. When we experience stressful situations whether in a moment or over time, we tend to feel tension in the neck.
Stress affects all systems of the body including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems. Our bodies are well equipped to handle stress in small doses, but when that stress becomes long-term or chronic, it can have serious effects on your body.
Emotional information is stored through “packages” in our organs, tissues, skin, and muscles. These “packages” allow the emotional information to stay in our body parts until we can “release” it. Negative emotions in particular have a long-lasting effect on the body.
When an emotion is not fully processed, it may become “stuck” in the body. However, it's the limbic structures of the brain where emotional processing occurs.
Many of us store stress in the diaphragm as we hunch our backs and move forward without realizing it. This causes constriction in the chest region and stresses the lungs due to lack of space. This leads us to feel exhausted and causes breathlessness.
Neck Tension = Fear and Repressed Self-Expression
Fear and anxiety are also frequently stored in this area, particularly as a physical response to danger (as the neck is a vulnerable area) or strange environments. Neck muscle tension is also related to trust issues.
There are a number of ways to reduce physical tension. These include meditation, exercise, tai chi, massage, visualisation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and slow breathing techniques. To reduce our stress it is important that we practice relaxation techniques on a daily basis.
Some may have a fight-or-flight type of response, which may include muscle tension, heart pounding and sweating because their body "believes it needs to activate," she explains. Others maybe experience a freeze response, which can look like someone who struggles to move or get out of bed.
Neck /Shoulder Tension: Burdens and Responsibilities
If you suffer from neck and shoulder tension, it's likely that you're overly burdened. Rather than ask for help from others, you're likely to do everything yourself.
The energy of the trauma is stored in our bodies' tissues (primarily muscles and fascia) until it can be released. This stored trauma typically leads to pain and progressively erodes a body's health. Emotions are the vehicles the body relies on to find balance after a trauma.
The hips are an important storage vessel of emotional stress because of the psoas' link to the adrenal glands and the location of the sacral chakra.
The shoulder well point is in your shoulder muscle. To find it, pinch your shoulder muscle with your middle finger and thumb. This pressure point is said to help with relieving stress, muscle tension, and headaches. It can also induce labor, so don't use this point if you're pregnant.
Generally speaking, anger and pride can create tension that results in shoulder neck pain. Additionally, an increased mental workload can cause extra shoulder tension. You may literally feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's a saying for a reason!
"[N]ervousness, stress, fear, anxiety, caution, boredom, restlessness, happiness, joy, hurt, shyness, coyness, humility, awkwardness, confidence, subservience, depression, lethargy, playfulness, sensuality, and anger can all manifest through the feet and legs.”
Researchers have discovered that the gut and brain are closely connected; and that this relationship serves an important function not only in managing emotions and stress but also aiding digestion. Emotions are felt in the gut. Feelings such sadness, anger, nervousness, fear and joy can be felt in the gut.
It won't rid you of PTSD and your fears, but let your tears flow and you'll maybe feel a little better afterwards. 'Crying for long periods of time releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain.
Stress can cause your muscles to tense up — and over time, that can lead to pain and soreness in virtually any part of the body. The most common stress-related aches and pains are in the neck, back, and shoulders.
Our nervous system is hardwired to contract our mimetic muscles (facial muscles) in certain patterns to convey a range of emotions—like happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, surprise, and fear—as a means of communication.
While knees represent Pride, and it is said that 'Pride goes before the fall', knees can also represent Humility which is the wisdom to be yielding in the face of change. Briefly, Knee problems may be said to indicate being stuck in the Ego, too proud to bend.