If I could tell my 23-year-old self one thing...it would be that my physical symptoms were definitely connected to my emotions and thoughts. The physical pain I had at 23 was most definitely linked to the trauma I experienced and how I felt unsafe to be present in my own body. Fascia, the connective tissue weaving through our muscles, bones, and organs, doesn't just play a structural role in our bodies—it also deeply impacts our emotional health. Whether you're a business owner, curious about others or on your own journey of self-discovery, it's crucial to recognize that emotions manifest physically within our fascial network.
I once thought my emotions and thoughts were completely unrelated to what was going on in my physical body. I thought that my physical body had to do with mechanics or how I was moving, not the thoughts and emotions I was suppressing. Understanding this connection was a game-changer for me and led to significant breakthroughs in both my emotional resilience and physical health.
Fascia's Role in Holding Emotional Tension
Our fascia responds dynamically to both physical stimuli and emotional changes, tightening or relaxing in reaction to our feelings, it's our largest sensory organ. For instance, chronic stress often leads to a stiffened fascia around our shoulders and neck, creating the sensation of carrying "the weight of the world." Similarly, fear and sadness can constrict the chest, affecting our breathing and posture.
Emotional Anatomy: Key Areas Where We Store Emotional Tension
Shoulders and Neck: Think weight of the world and carrying of people.
Chest and Abdomen: Think grief, loss and overwhelm. This can also be a space for anxiety to be felt when we suppress the feelings we so deeply need to feel.
Lower Back and Hips: Think piggy-backing all the responsibilities or the big list of things you want to say to people. Life can get heavy if we don't have spaces to express how we really feel.
Jaw and Face: Think anger, frustration or simply being too afraid of not speaking truth. When we bite our tongue, figuratively, we create tension to go with it.
Integrating Emotional Anatomy Health into Our Life
Emotional Anatomy is the understanding that most of us will store emotions in similiar places. The first step to figuring our what our body is trying to tell us is to investigate and get curious. This means, knowing where emotions may be stored, to then ask deeper questions of yourself. Sometimes, we may require touch, movement or a release of sorts to a particular area to figure out what's really going on. Try this...what feels tight or painful at the moment in your body? Can you connect to it? And ask yourself...what emotion is here?
We will dive deeper into particular areas of the body soon and give you some releases, questions & movements to try to open up your body. Don't miss my next blog post!
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