April is a National Stress Awareness Month. Did you know that your body parts carry your emotional stress? Physical stress is easy to tell because you have experienced it on your body from things like injuries, posture, or repetitive use of certain muscles. Your body parts can also carry your emotional stress from the past and present.
Over the years I’ve heard that the financial stress shows up on your lower back. So I did some research on how certain stress shows up in other parts of your body. If you have a chronic pain in certain body parts for no apparent reason, take a look at this mind-body approach to understand and tackle the pain.
I found a good article on Huffpo so I’m going to summarize it.
Head – Head carries emotional stress which is pretty obvious because that’s where we carry unnecessary voices. Headache and migraines are caused by stress from taking on too much in your life. Go to the spa to unwind and clear your head.
Neck – Neck reflects your guilty feeling. If you have a neck pain you may be having a hard time forgiving yourself and being too hard on yourself. Forgive and love yourself and let go of the guilty feelings.
Shoulders – Shoulders reflect burden. If you have shoulder pain you may be taking up more than you can handle. Ask for help to lighten up your load.
Upper Back – Upper back reflects the lack of emotional support. If you have pain in your upper back, you may be feeling unloved or holding back your love for someone. Reach out to loved ones to strengthen your relationship. If you are single, jump into a dating scene.
Lower Back – Lower back reflects the lack of financial support. If you have pain in your lower back, take a look at your spending habits or ask for an overdue raise at work.
Elbows – Elbows reflect your resistance to change. If you have an elbow pain, you may be too stubborn in certain things in your life. Consider softening up with someone or be flexible and try new things.
Hands – Hands reflect connection. If your hands are painful, you may be lacking human connection with others. Consider making new friends or eating meals with someone else instead of eating alone.
Hips – Hips reflect fear of moving forward. If you have a hip pain, it may be a sign that you are resisting moving forward or making decisions. Pushing through your fear and take action may be the solution.
Knees – Knees reflect ego. If you have a knee pain, you may be too proud of yourself about something. Resist the urge to brag. Learn to be humble and give credit to others.
Calves – Calves reflect jealousy and resentment. If you have pain in your calves, see if you are having old grudges or jealousies about something and let them go.
Ankles – Ankles reflect your ability to receive pleasure. If you have ankle pain, you may be resisting pleasures in your life. Enjoy a little indulgence and may even spice up your romantic life.
Feet – Feet reflect negativity and lack of joy. If you have pain in your feet, see if you have lots of negative feelings or tend to talk negatively all the time. Start enjoying little things in your life. Taking up a new hobby or getting a pet may be helpful.
Interesting, isn’t it? If you have chronic pain that’s not from a known physical stress, I think it’s worth to investigate these emotional stress as causes.
Massage Monday #389 – How Certain Emotional Stress Shows Up in Your Body http://bit.ly/mm-389