10. Know your body’s stress patterns!

Life in today’s world IS stressful! If it’s not COVID 19, it’s the job, the commute, the bills, the kids, the weather, or the relatives! When you feel under pressure or stressed, it “flips a switch” in your body — your autonomic nervous system triggers the “fight or flight” response.

One of the results of this response is that your muscles tense up in preparation for quick action. This gives you the greater strength and speed that you would need during a life-threatening emergency. Typically, you will adopt an “on alert” posture: your shoulders lift, pulling your arms forward, which creates muscle tension in the neck, back, and torso — you’re ready to act!

However, if you do NOT take physical action soon, the muscle tension remains. Often it lasts only a short time and dissipates on its own. But sometimes — especially when you are constantly or repeatedly in stressful situations — the tightness can be long-lasting and can impact the daily functioning of your body.

Any muscle under sustained tension for any reason eventually develops spasm and pain. This can manifest itself in different ways. The most common are: back and neck pain, tension headaches, tight or knotted muscles, and jaw pain or TMJ.

But EACH individual will experience this “fight or flight” readiness in different ways. You will feel back and neck muscle tension in different places and intensities. Some of you will hold stress in your hands, arms, or even your legs.

Know your OWN body’s stress patterns! Think about your body — after you’ve been through a stressful time, what hurts? (You may notice the pain a day or two after a crisis has occurred.) For example, I have one spot between my shoulder blades that is painful ONLY after I’ve been under pressure.

Try to identify a specific stress-related reaction in your body. Headache? Back pain? Neck pain? Tight leg or arm muscles? Once you figure it out, you’ll wonder why you never made the connection before!

Why bother? There are a couple of advantages to knowing your body’s stress patterns:

To be able to recognize the cause of your discomfort: So you won’t blame your last workout at the gym, an extra-long session on the computer or an afternoon of gardening or furniture moving. (Not that these won’t cause sore muscles, but it will not be the same!)

To develop strategies to release stress-induced muscle tension: There are a few simple things you can do to release muscle tension so that you will no longer be functioning in “fight or flight” mode.

• Take 10 to 20 slow deep breaths (lifting the belly, not just the chest), focusing on the exhale while relaxing the tight area of your body. Generally, when you are stressed, your breathing is shallow and rapid. Consciously slowing down your breath can “reset” the sympathetic nervous system response and allow your muscles to relax.

• While you are still breathing slowly and deeply, deliberately stretch and contract the area of tension. Don’t stretch to the point of pain, and don’t bounce. A slow, gentle stretch may be able to lengthen short, tight muscles.

• If slow stretching doesn’t seem to impact the tight muscle, try some reverse psychology on it! Tighten that muscle! Squeeze it as tightly as you can and hold it for at least ten seconds. Then release it completely and again, breathe slowly and deeply.

• Relax your jaw by dropping it down, allowing your mouth to open. Continue to breathe slowly and deeply, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. You may not even realize you are tightening your jaw muscles until you consciously release them.

• If the area is accessible to you, gently but firmly massage the tight muscle. If not, see if you can find a tool to help you. There are many self-care massage tools, usually in a hook- or S-shape. (Maybe you can find something around the house that can reach your back!) Another trick is to use a tennis ball or (my personal favorite) a hard drier ball. The little points on the drier ball can penetrate into the connective tissue that may be stuck. Place the ball under your neck, shoulder, leg, or back and just rest on it for a minute or more, allowing those little points to sink in. Or perhaps someone nearby can massage the area for you. Even a massaging chair or seat cover can help relax your muscles.

• Take a hot bath or shower. Hot water enables muscle fibers to loosen and relax. Adding Epsom salts or essential oils to bathwater may also increase its benefit.

• If none of these techniques work well enough to remove your pain, you can always try an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relief medicine like ibuprofen. Continue your breathing, stretching, and massaging while the medicine is working, and hopefully, your muscles will have relaxed by the time it wears off.

• When all else fails, call in a professional! If these relaxation techniques are inadequate to release stress-induced muscle tension, it may be time to seek out a skilled massage therapist or Rolf method practitioner. (See my website tab about the Rolf “method.”) You may have been living in “fight or flight” mode so often or for so long that the connective tissue in your body has adapted and is now supporting that posture permanently. A well-trained professional should be able to release those compensations in one or more sessions. Keep this in mind for when the quarantine is lifted!

TIP: Remember that strong, well-conditioned muscles can tolerate more tension than weak ones. So regular exercise, stretching, and good nutrition can help reduce muscle tension in the long run.