Your Body Feels the Stress You’re Carrying

Women can become remarkably good at functioning under stress. We get up, take care of everyone, answer the emails, handle the appointment, make dinner, solve the next problem, and keep moving. Because we are still functioning, we can begin to assume we are handling it.

But your body knows the difference between getting through something and feeling safe.

That is what caught my attention in Peter Bongiorno’s Psychology Today article, Immunity and the Mind: 7 Steps. He explains that short-term stress is very different from chronic stress. Our stress response is designed to help us react when something requires immediate attention, but when the pressure never really turns off, the same systems that were designed to protect us can begin affecting immune function and overall well-being.

I think this is particularly important for Body Bella women because food is only one part of the environment your body experiences every day. You can be eating beautifully and still be living in a body that feels like it has been chased by a bear since breakfast.

Maybe it isn’t an actual bear. Maybe it is the parent who requires more care than you anticipated. The job that never seems finished. Money worries. A difficult relationship. A phone that never stops. The mental list that begins before your feet hit the floor in the morning. One stressful moment may pass quickly, but when there is always another one waiting, your body rarely gets the message that the danger is over.

The article offers several ways to help interrupt that cycle, including adequate sleep, movement, time in nature, supportive thinking or therapy, nourishing food, and relaxation practices. These are not extravagant wellness luxuries. They are some of the ordinary ways we communicate to the body that it can come out of constant high alert.

That connects beautifully with what you are already practicing in Body Bella. We pay attention to nourishment, hydration, sleep, movement, and the signals your body gives you because your body does not experience these things separately. They are all part of the same life you are asking it to carry.

And sometimes taking care of yourself does not mean adding another thing to your list.

It might mean sitting outside for ten quiet minutes. Going for a walk without turning it into a workout. Going to bed instead of finishing one more thing. Eating your meal sitting down. Turning your phone off. Asking for help. Laughing with someone you love. Letting something be good enough for today.

Your body is listening to more than what you eat.

It is listening to the pace of your life.

So if you have been doing so many things “right” and still don’t feel quite like yourself, consider asking a different question.

Does my body ever get the message that it is safe to rest?

Because sometimes the healthiest thing you can do isn’t push harder. It’s finally give your body a reason to believe the emergency is over.

And remember, the way you care for yourself doesn’t only affect you. You are an example to everyone around you. When they see you nourish yourself, rest without guilt, move your body, and make your well-being matter, you quietly give them permission to do the same.

That's a beautiful legacy to model.

Keep going,
Dr. Brookh Lyons
Founder, Body Bella

You don’t need to be fixed. You need to be supported.
Book a consult or Explore the Body Bella experience

To read the article that inspired this Body Bella observation: Immunity and the Mind: 7 Steps - Psychology Today

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Green Bay, WI 54301

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