The Science of Stress: Why Your Body Holds On and How to Let Go
We often think of stress as “just a mental thing” — a busy brain, a tight chest, a frazzled mood. But the truth is… stress lives in the body. And if it builds up without being processed, your body starts to hold onto it like an overloaded inbox, quietly buzzing in the background until something gives.
In kinesiology, we work with that stored stress — not just the stress you feel but the stress your body’s been carrying, sometimes for years. Think of it like closing open tabs in your nervous system, one by one.
But before we dive into how to let go, let’s explore why your body holds on in the first place.
🧠 Stress 101: What’s Actually Happening in Your Body?
When your brain perceives a threat — whether it’s a tiger in the jungle or a tense email — your nervous system jumps into survival mode. This triggers what’s called the General Adaptation Syndrome (G.A.S.), which happens in three phases:
Alarm – “Danger!” Your body floods with cortisol and adrenaline. Heart rate spikes. Muscles tense. All systems on high alert.
Resistance – Your body tries to stabilise. You're coping... but it's effortful. Think caffeine, pushing through, telling yourself you're “fine.”
Exhaustion – This is burnout land. The body’s been trying to keep up for too long. Now it’s running on fumes.
Your body was never designed to stay in survival mode long-term — but in modern life, we often do. Stress becomes chronic, and that’s when the body starts holding onto it.
🧬 Where Does Stress Go When It Doesn’t Leave?
Here’s the wild part: if your body doesn’t get a clear signal that the “danger” has passed, it keeps the stress response active. It can get stored in muscles, meridians, even specific organs depending on the nature of the stress.
Ever had a tight jaw during stressful weeks? Or stomach aches when you’re worried? That’s not in your head — it’s your body trying to talk to you.
In kinesiology, we call this stress switching. When the nervous system is so overloaded, it stops communicating clearly. It’s like trying to fix a computer while it’s glitching out. That’s why we don’t just manage stress — we need to help the body recalibrate.
🔬 The Role of Kinesiology: Releasing the Hold
Kinesiology works with the body’s own feedback system (muscle monitoring) to find out:
Where the stress is sitting
What kind of stress it is (emotional, structural, chemical, energetic...)
When it may have started
How the body wants to release it
It’s like playing detective with your body — following the clues until the real story is uncovered. Sometimes the body holds stress from a recent situation; other times it’s an old pattern from childhood that never got a chance to resolve. Either way, the aim is always the same: to help your system let go safely, gently, and deeply.
🌿 How to Start Letting Go (Even Without a Session)
Letting go of stress doesn’t always require a major life overhaul. Sometimes, it starts with small moments of safety that signal to your nervous system:
“We’re okay now. You can exhale.”
Here are a few gentle ways to begin:
🌀 Breathe deeply — slow exhales tell the body “we’re safe now”
🌞 Ground yourself — walk barefoot, sit in the sun, feel the earth
✍🏼 Journal what you actually feel — not what you think you “should”
🎶 Listen to music that shifts your mood gently, not forcefully
🚿 Try a cold-to-warm shower — it resets your nervous system beautifully
🤲 See a practitioner you trust — sometimes we need help clearing what we can’t access alone
🧡 Final Thoughts
Stress is human. It’s not weakness. It’s your body’s way of protecting you — but holding onto it for too long can leave you stuck in a loop. The good news? Your body wants to let go. It just needs the right tools, support, and space to do so.
You don’t have to “think” your way out of stress. You can feel your way through it.
If you’d like support finding and clearing what your body’s holding onto, kinesiology might be the perfect next step.
