Tension and the First Medicine

None of us in this life are strangers to tension. 

“Held Tension” is usually a result of emotions or experiences that go unprocessed and unmanaged; sometimes, it’s an excess of physical energy that hasn’t been released, and sometimes it is a more general worry, fear, or uncertainty about some aspect of our lives. In our daily lives, tension shows up in a number of different ways, and for a myriad of reasons, making it sometimes difficult to pinpoint or understand. 

The problem with this is, tension can build up in our systems, ultimately causing deeper emotional drainage, physical strain, loss of libido, and other issues if left unmanaged over time. Therefore, understanding how and why tension shows up is essential to enabling better emotional regulation, management, and release. 

Impeding the flow of energy

There are two main kinds of tension. The first is physical tension – our muscles are contracted, our fists curl, and we feel rigidity in our spines and our limbs. The second type is emotional or mental tension, which is a blocked or held energy, like a sense of pressure in our thoughts and emotions. Both types are related, and you may find that emotional tension often triggers an onset of physical tension, or vice versa. Both types of tension are really just containers for the impeded flow of energy in our bodies. 

What does it mean for our energetic flow to be “impeded”? When there’s tension, there’s contraction. And where there is contraction, there can be no flow. We find ourselves stuck in repetitive patterns - unable to do or think anything different, because our energy is flowing (or not flowing) in the same way.

Tension may show up as a specific form of these holding patterns; for example, we may have a pattern of looking relaxed on the outside, but our internal vigilance level is actually high. 

Similar outcomes of this type of tension may include fatigue, a lower sex drive, brain fogginess, a short temper, general emotionality, restlessness, impaired appetite, irritability, boredom, or even depression. 

We tend to associate depression with feeling lazy, which contrasts the way we typically think of tension as being something active. But in actuality, depression is often a result of the body's way of demonstrating that it’s overloaded or at capacity from all the things it’s holding. And typically, these are all things we haven't said or brought out into the open. It’s all the fear, all the anger, all the emotion that we feel unable or unwilling to express.

The first medicine is Movement

So how can we resolve this holding pattern and allow ourselves to move through tension? 

The first step is to engage with your body’s movement. 

Now, movement is not just about increasing exercise or getting the heart pumping more – it’s about any movement of energy, which could be achieved through breathwork or even the intentional relaxation of the body and mind. 

This may feel counter-intuitive, but think about the concept of acceleration. In physics, the term acceleration refers to the act of changing speed in either direction, not just increasing. Acceleration could mean increasing or decreasing the rate of movement. So if you’re someone who is very physically active everyday, it’s possible that your version of movement as medicine may be to slow down some of your energy in order to decrease your held tension. 

Toxin release

The second element of tension release is the physical release of toxins from our systems. The flow of blood and oxygen carries different elements through our system, so if we need to release toxins, it has to happen through the rapid, fluid flow of blood, oxygen, and electrical charges. 

Movement – in its most basic sense – will disrupt whatever current pattern we are stuck in. Therefore, a good way to accelerate toxin release through movement is to shake your body out and actively energize your blood flow. 

For example, when you’re stuck in tension overload, try shaking your entire body out for 60 seconds at a time. This is a great disrupter because it is unscripted – it is nonlinear, and if you really go for it, it can both release tension and actively interrupt your thought spirals. Pairing instrumental music, such as drumming, to your 60-second shaking episodes can help further enhance the experience.

If any of this resonates with you, or you feel you need help applying some of this work in your own life, feel free to reach out to me here and let’s see if we’re a good fit. I would love to work with you!