How Emotional Stress Keeps You From Gaining Back Pain Relief + A Simple 5 Minute Technique

The Elimination Diet: Remove anger, regret, worry, resentment, guilt & blame. Then watch your health and life improve. – Charles F. Glassman

I was in my early 30’s when I reached my breaking point. It had been 15 years of recurring health issues and back pain. I felt overwhelmed and tired of spending hours trying to figure it all out. I felt frustrated that, even after working as a personal trainer for four years and earning a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, I still was having issues with my back which limited me from doing what I loved. I didn’t want to believe that this was something I had to deal with for the rest of my life. So, what was I missing?

Why did my body continue to hurt after all this time? I thought I was doing everything right: pain meds, physical therapy, lifting weights, staying active as much as I could, massages, and ice/heat.

SEE ALSO: Self-Care: From The Root Of Your Being

Can you relate?

Experiencing this pain for so long left me feeling mentally, physically and emotionally drained.

But, nothing changes if nothing changes. I chose to do something different because only treating where my pain was and nowhere else kept me from ending it entirely. Connecting with experts in their field – an acupuncturist, energy healer, and functional medicine practitioner –  allowed me to gain insight from different perspectives, and discover that 80% of back pain is not coming from the back. The mental, physical and emotional stress that I felt for more than 15 years all related to why I kept feeling pain in my back.

Did you know that your body holds different emotions and each region of your body holds a specific type of feeling?

Emotions are archived in the subconscious mind, which has an unseen influence on how we feel, behave, and do things. The subconscious mind is 90% of the brain, and we use only 10% of the brain which is known as the conscious mind.

What feelings relate to back pain?

Feeling unsupported with finances, work, and relationships relate to low back pain. Kidneys relate to fear with moving forward with something in your life, and when stressed, kidneys refer pain to the low back. In front of your spine is the gut. Stomach issues relate to having difficulty digesting the events in your life. The spleen is related to worry and the liver is related to anger, frustration, and irritability.

We all have felt these emotions at some point in our lives. But if you continue to address only the physical and structural aspect of your pain, you miss out on gaining longer-lasting relief. E-motion means energy in motion, and when that energy does not move, it becomes trapped in your body.

How can you move through your emotions?

One way is to breathe out. Longer exhalations shift your body from feeling stressed to feeling safe and supported. Inhale for a count of four seconds, exhale for a count of eight seconds. Set your intentions to breathe out pain, fear, worry, and anything else you feel you must move through. Do this breathing technique for three to five minutes every day.

The second technique to help you move through emotions is to introspect. Anytime you feel back pain, ask yourself:

1. Am I feeling supported? Examine which areas of your life you don’t feel supported with: work, finances, and relationships.
2. When have I felt unsupported in my life? This pain didn’t happen overnight. Reflect upon events from childhood to the present moment and connect the dots.
3. What can I do to support myself? What type of support am I needing? Am I needing mental, physical, and/or emotional support?

Write everything out if you need to, then act towards supporting yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Time doesn’t heal. Action does. Diving into the pain, breathing, and asking your body questions guides you towards discovering the reasons why your back is hurting. Pain is the language of the body signaling you to pay attention and connect deep within. Get curious and learn how to understand the language of your body. I must admit, this process can feel challenging and uncomfortable, but the discomfort is needed in order for you to overcome pain from the inside-out. There is power in asking your body questions because your body holds wisdom and the intelligence to heal itself.

Connecting with your body in this way creates space for the body to feel safe and supported because the body can’t heal until it feels safe.

Are you ready for a change?

Pain is an opportunity to make a change – a change with how you perceive pain, and a change in the way you treat it.

Integrating this approach, along with other techniques, has allowed me to feel lighter and free. I no longer avoid or ignore the signals my body sends me. I feel stronger than ever being able to connect with my body from the inside-out and do what I love without worrying about my back hurting anymore. And because of my journey, I get to share what I’ve learned and support hundreds of people end back pain so they can feel like their best selves and live a more energized,  active life without limits.

What I would like for you to take away from all this is to believe you no longer need to deal with back issues for the rest of your life.  View the body as a relationship and connect the dots. Bridge the gap with what you’ve been missing so that you can live a life feeling free to move your body stronger than before. Replace fear with hope that your mind and body can achieve what you want.

So, feel your feelings. Dive into the pain. Breathe out. Ask yourself, “Am I feeling supported?” and act towards overcoming back pain from the inside-out.