Why Does My Body Hold Tension
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Short Answer
You feel a knot in your stomach, like being stuck in a prison cell with no way out. You can start by take deep, slow breaths through your nostrils, filling your lungs completely and exhaling slowly through your mouth. focus...
What This Means
You feel a knot in your stomach, like being stuck in a prison cell with no way out. Your heart races, pounding against your chest as if trying to break free. Every breath feels heavy, making it hard to draw air into your lungs. A tightness forms around your jaw, clenching and unclenching with each passing second.
Your body holds tension due to a fight-or-flight response triggered by past trauma or overwhelming situations. Your nervous system automatically went on high alert, preparing you for danger. While this was crucial for survival back then, it now leaves you feeling trapped and anxious, even in safe environments.
Why This Happens
If you find that your body tension persists despite these actions or if it is significantly impacting your daily life, it may be time to seek support from a therapist or counselor who specializes in trauma recovery.
If this resonates, you don't have to figure this out alone. The Nervous System Reset program provides structured guidance for completing your stress cycle and finding calm.
What Can Help
- Grounding techniques — Physical presence practices that anchor you in the present moment
- Breath regulation — Slow, intentional breathing to shift nervous system state
- Cognitive reframing — Examining thoughts and challenging catastrophic thinking
- Somatic awareness — Noticing bodily sensations without judgment
- Professional support — Therapy when patterns are persistent or overwhelming
When to Seek Support
This content draws on psychological research and trauma-informed care.
If these experiences are interfering with your daily functioning, relationships, or sense of safety, working with a trauma-informed therapist can provide personalized tools and a container for processing that may not be possible alone.
Ready to Reset Your Nervous System?
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Robert Greene
Research References
This content draws from peer-reviewed research and established clinical frameworks.
Primary Research
- Felitti, V.J. et al. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The ACE Study. Am J Prev Med, 14(4), 245-258. [Link]
- Porges, S.W. (2001). The polyvagal theory: phylogenetic substrates of a social nervous system. Int J Psychophysiol, 42(2), 123-146. [Link]
- Bremner, J.D. (2006). Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues Clin Neurosci, 8(4), 445-461. [Link]
- Payne, P., Levine, P.A. & Crane-Godreau, M.A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Front Psychol, 6, 93. [Link]
- Van der Kolk, B.A. & Fisler, R. (1995). Dissociation and the fragmentary nature of traumatic memories. J Trauma Stress, 8(4), 505-525. [Link]