The body remembers what the mind often forgets. 5 tips to reset the body after stressful situations.

Physical symptoms can come from life’s events. Here are my tried and true ways to get back to “normalcy” after a season of struggle.

It was early June 2021.

I was driving to St. Vincent de Paul with some boxes in the back of my Suburban.

My heart started racing. My eyes welled. I couldn’t see or breathe. I pulled over and realized I was having a panic attack. I never had a panic attack before.

And then it hit me.

You are driving to donate his clothes.

Fast forward 6 weeks and I just couldn’t pull out of the downward spiral I was in. I was in a fog. Checked out. Numb. I had been living in a sea of grief since the year prior, when Mike died that August of 2020, but this felt different. My mind seemed to be OK but my body definitely wasn’t.

And then my therapist said something that has stuck with me since.

Your body knows. It thinks it’s living through last year again. Hospice. The caregiving. His decline and subsequent death. You have to remind it that the time is NOW, not then. You have to tell it that everything will be OK.

And all of it made sense.

And, like clockwork, my body will go through these seasons and circumstances relived. Over and over again. Things that that feel so real and then I look at the calendar and realize what day it is. Oh yeah, this was the day when we had to move, right before he had a stroke. Oh yes, this was the time when I packed up my house and embarked on a beautiful new life.

Good things, bad things, good memories, bad memories - it all gets stored in the body, I can most definitely attest to this truth. And if we aren’t careful to recognize how our bodies store what we’ve gone through in life, it can all start to spill over into our health, our choices, our marriages, our parenting, and more.

What happened recently, when I finally let go…

I am currently in a season that is transitioning and, depending on the day, somewhat heavy. After Lourdes and the hope that drove me there, I exhaled (a good thing). We also made some pretty big decisions that have subsequently made my load lighter (also a good thing). But in exhaling and lightening the load, my body let go. I mean, flood gates opened sort of letting go. It was something I have been craving, NEEDING, for quite some time (something I will talk more about later), but as a result, I crashed. Hard.

And instead of pushing like I usually do, instead of fighting to bring myself back to liveliness and normalcy (what does that even mean?), I’m leaning into this time of emotionally and physically stepping back. I’m letting my body do what it needs while attempting to not give in to all the emotions. I’m letting it remember and process the things it’s bringing up. Essentially, I’m honoring this season so that I can emerge from it in better spirits, in better health, as a better wife and mom.

I’ve been here before, so this isn’t new. And, like everything, I’ve trialed and errored my way through these seasons - doing things that both helped and hurt myself and my family. The things that helped me process physically (not just mentally and emotionally) what occurred in my life bore fruits that propelled me to healing and wholeness and enabled me to be a better person/wife/mom than even before. Just as ignoring these bodily effects, escaping from the pain, or distracting myself (usually with vices) had the opposite effect.

Let me share with you how I will approach this time I’m in, so that you can see how to make it through the different seasons the body goes through. I have 7 kids, a husband, a writing gig, and a business we run (kind of together) so my tips will be practical and real. (I wish they included a 6 month sabbatical near the ocean but alas that will be for next time.) Plus, they come from having lived it all out in the trial and error I mentioned. They have Christ as their center and health (in mind and body) as their aim, just so you know where I’m coming from.

With that, let’s dive in.

He bought me flowers 😭😭😍

When the body is shouting, you better listen.

First off, I’m not saying that every symptom the body experiences is the result of something happening in life. I also am in the process of balancing my hormones and getting some micronutrient tests done with my cancer doctor, so I’m sure some of that is at play. Plus, with the changing season into summer, this is naturally a God-given time to slow down, for we’ve all been through a lot since the year rang in.

But a lot of times, our symptoms can be related to what we’ve gone through. Symptoms such as gut problems, headaches, anxiety, a racing heart, shallow breathing, feeling sluggish or hyperactive are all examples of what the body can experience in response to things in life. These are often caused by remaining in fight or flight, by constantly being in the sympathetic nervous system versus the parasympathetic. And then, if left unchecked or ignored, can actually result in bigger health problems down the road.

(For the record, I was officially diagnosed with PTSD this past year but instead of focusing on that term, I focus on overall healing, including the tips I talk about below. Always check with your doctor, especially if what you’re going through is specific to you, as this isn’t medical advice.)

So, use your judgement, reason, and perhaps a good doctor’s advice in discerning what’s what. Physical symptoms do bear a connection to life events, so tending to your body during and after times of stress (pregnancy, death of a parent, illness, job loss, move, transition, time of change, etc) is a really really good thing. Even if those symptoms don’t pop up until years later.

So, here are my 5 tips (and a couple more) for processing and releasing what may be stored in the body so that you and I can return to stability, happiness, peace, and health, all while becoming holier at the same time…