Beyond Burnout: How Stress Lives in the Body... Oh, and What You Can Do About It

While anxiety is more psychological in nature, stress is often physical—it lives in the body long after the trigger is gone. If left unaddressed, it can quietly hijack your health, your mood, and your ability to focus.

Understanding how stress works—and where it shows up—is the first step to healing.

Stress vs. Anxiety: What’s the Real Difference?

Although stress and anxiety can feel similar, they come from various places. Stress is a response to an external challenge—like a deadline, a bill, or a conflict. Once the situation passes, the stress should subside. On the other hand, anxiety is internal and often lingers. It’s the perception of a threat that may not even be real or immediate.

In short, stress is typically tied to a situation, while anxiety is tied to a state of mind (American Psychological Association, 2023).

Where Stress Lives in the Body

Stress isn’t just “in your head.” Research shows stress can become somatic, especially when left unprocessed (van der Kolk, 2014; Scaer, 2005). Here’s how it shows up physically:

• Shoulders/Neck: Carrying the weight of pressure

• Stomach: “Gut feelings” aren’t just emotional; cortisol and adrenaline impact digestion

• Chest: Tightness or shallow breathing

• Jaw: Clenching or teeth grinding, often without realizing it

• Back: Tension builds from long hours of sitting or bracing against discomfort

• Skin/Scalp: Breakouts, dryness, or itching linked to chronic stress response

(Actionable Step) Full-Body Shake + Shoulder Drop:

[Release stress quickly by mimicking the body’s natural discharge system (like animals do after danger]

1. Stand up, gently shake out your arms, legs, and neck for 60 seconds.

2. Exhale through your mouth with sound.

3. Roll your shoulders up to your ears, then drop them hard while breathing out.

4. This interrupts the tension cycle and signals your body to “stand down.”

Stress and the Nervous System: Your Hidden Accelerator

When you’re stressed, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in—heart rate speeds up, digestion slows, and your body prepares to “fight or flee” (Porges, 2011; Dana, 2018). However, if you never downshift into the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) mode, the stress stays stuck in your tissues.

(Actionable Step) Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani):

This yoga pose is incredibly restorative and taps directly into your parasympathetic system:

1. Lie on your back near a wall and rest your legs vertically against it.

2. Breathe deeply for 5–10 minutes.

3. Add an eye pillow or soothing scent for bonus calm.

4. This helps reduce cortisol, lower blood pressure, and release physical tension.

The Power of Your Vagus Nerve

Your vagus nerve is the master reset switch for the nervous system playing a key role in recovery and emotional regulation (Groves & Brown, 2005). It runs from your brainstem to your gut and touches almost every major organ. When stimulated, it helps bring your body back to a calm, regulated state.

(Actionable Step) Humming or Gargling:

Yes, seriously! Humming activates the vocal cords and vibrates the vagus nerve while gargling water for 30 seconds engages the throat muscles, stimulating vagal tone.

These might seem silly, but this is biohacking 101—and it works!

Touch and Tension: Fascia’s Role in Stress

Your fascia is the web-like connective tissue wrapping muscles and organs, and it’s deeply responsive to chronic stress and physical trauma (Schleip et al., 2012; Myers, 2014). When you’re chronically stressed, fascia can become tight and restricted, locking in emotional tension.

(Actionable Step) Self-Massage or Foam Rolling:

1. Use a foam roller, massage ball, or even your hands to gently massage areas that feel tight.

2. Focus on slow movements and breathe into the sensation.

3. Doing this daily can retrain the body to let go.

The strategies outlined throughout this article, many rooted in trauma-informed yoga and somatic regulation, help regulate the nervous system and support emotional resilience (Emerson & Hopper, 2011; NAMI, 2021).

Final Note: You’re Not Lazy, You’re Just Stressed

If you’ve felt drained, scattered, or just “off,” remember—it might not be a lack of motivation. It could be stored stress in your body asking for attention. You’re not your body is just talking to you. Research shows that trauma and chronic stress often manifest physically when not metabolized properly (Van Der Kolk, 2014; Emerson & Hopper, 2011).

What can you do? Start small:

1. Sip cold water.

2. Stretch your spine.

3. Take 3 deep breaths every hour.

4. Say “no” when you need to.

Healing isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes, it’s about slowing down enough to feel what needs tending. You deserve peace—not just in your mind, but in your body too!

References:

Stress vs. Anxiety:

American Psychological Association. (2023). Stress and anxiety: What’s the difference? https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/anxiety-difference

Where Stress Lives in the Body:

Scaer, R. C. (2005). The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation, and Disease (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.

Nervous System & Parasympathetic Activation:

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, Self-regulation. W.W. Norton.

Dana, D. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation & Somatic Tools:

Groves, D. A., & Brown, V. J. (2005). Vagal nerve stimulation: A review of its applications and potential mechanisms that mediate its clinical effects. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 29(3), 493–500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2005.01.004

Fascia and Stored Stress:

Schleip, R., Findley, T. W., Chaitow, L., & Huijing, P. A. (2012). Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body. Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.

Myers, T. (2014). Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists (3rd ed.). Churchill Livingstone.

Grounding & Self-Regulation Practices:

Emerson, D., & Hopper, E. (2011). Overcoming Trauma through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body. North Atlantic Books.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). (2021). Managing Stress & Anxiety. https://www.nami.org

For more insights on nervous system healing, emotional regulation, and holistic wellness, follow me on Medium at @imaniwellsofficial and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imani-wells.

Imani Wells is a mental health advocate, writer, and behavioral health specialist with a strong background in child development and psychology. She holds an AA in Early Childhood Education and is a proud member of the Alpha Beta Gamma Honor Society. She is currently pursuing her AA in Psychology at the College of Southern Nevada and is excited to soon transfer to the University of Nevada Las Vegas to continue her BA in Psychology.

Imani is also currently working as a Registered Behavior Technician, supporting children with autism, and serves as a Peer Group Support Facilitator with the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) as well as a crisis counselor with 988. To further integrate mindfulness into mental health support, she is also completing certifications in Social-Emotional Learning Facilitation (SEL*F) and Yoga (CYT-200).

Through her writing and advocacy, Imani is committed to bridging the gap between research and real-world strategies for healing and growth.