Do you need to address emotions for your health?

Okay- here is some info for you guys. Signs you need to utilize emotional work to help your chronic illness/physical illness. Im seeing this more and more here. It’s not the first place I look- and I think some people in the holistic industry use this and an excuse for them not knowing what is wrong BUT I will never deny this a VERY IMPORTANT. Every single one of you can benefit from this. 

 

I am not someone who can do any of these myself as a practitioner but I’m happy to hold space and help you connect to what you may need.

 

What do I mean?

I use and recommend:

-Emotional Release Therapy (the one that is helped me the most) Julie Otte. Julieotte.com is who I see. First holistic practitioner I ever saw- I go way less now but utilize this still!

-Talk therapy 

-EMDR (theres one self guided I found and like online- this may not be for everyone)

-NET (I JUST started this myself. I will update you guys on how it goes. Im going every week for 6 weeks to start alongside physical Chiro adjustments)

 

Extra Tools

-Headspace meditation app (can use daily in combined with a therapy)

-DesBio emotional tinctures (I would combine this with any sort of emotional release therapy, not just alone)

-Essential oils (can be very powerful)

-bioresonance emotional scan

-batch flower remedies 

 

Here are some signs, behaviors, and thoughts/statements that could be symptoms.

 

Behaviors:

Health Obsession / Avoidance Loop → either researching nonstop about their illness or swinging to ignoring it completely

Self-Sabotage → starting protocols or routines and then “falling off” when emotions surface

Addictive Coping → scrolling, shopping, binge eating, substances, or staying busy to avoid feeling

Over-scheduling → filling the day so there’s no time to process emotions

Rest Resistance → guilt, shame, or anxiety when trying to relax

 

Daily Life Signs

• Feeling worse physically on weekends, vacations, or after slowing down (because the emotions finally surface)

• Needing constant background noise (TV, music, podcasts) so they don’t have to sit in silence with their thoughts

• Losing interest in hobbies or things that used to bring joy

• Over-relying on caffeine or stimulants just to function

• “Crashing” after social events, even if they enjoyed them

 

Common personality traits that could be a clue that you need to release some emotions.

 

• Puts others’ needs first, even at the cost of their own health

• Difficulty saying “no” → guilt when setting boundaries

• Feels responsible for everyone else’s comfort, happiness, or healing

• Afraid of being seen as “selfish”

• Holds themselves to impossible standards (“I have to do everything right to get well”)

• Beating themselves up over mistakes or setbacks

• Struggles to rest because they feel they must always be productive

• Fear of failure → often hiding symptoms or struggles

• Rarely cries, or avoids showing vulnerability

• Minimizes their pain (“it’s not that bad, others have it worse”)

• Bottles up anger or frustration instead of expressing it

• Discomfort when others are emotional, because it triggers their own unprocessed feelings

• “I have to handle this myself” mindset

• Struggles to ask for or accept help

• Pride in pushing through, even when it worsens symptoms

• Distrust of others meeting their needs

• Constantly scanning for what’s “wrong” in their body

• Worries about the future, flare-ups, or being a burden

• Struggles to feel safe or at ease

• Nervous system “on alert” even in calm situations

• Difficulty feeling joy or being present in the moment

• Feels detached from their body (“my body and mind don’t match”)

• Often lives in survival mode or autopilot

• Avoids quiet stillness because feelings come up

 

 

If you are saying this to yourself or in your head- do some emotional work. No doubt its needed IMO.

• “No one can help me”

• “I feel hopeless”

• “I’m so tired of fighting my body.”

• “Nothing ever gets better, what’s the point?”

• “I feel broken.”

• “Maybe this is just how my life will always be.”

• “It’s my fault I got sick.”

• “If I were stronger, I’d be able to push through.”

• “I must be doing something wrong.”

• “Other people can handle stress, why can’t I?”

• “I can’t cry about this, I need to be strong.”

• “I don’t want to burden anyone with how bad I feel.”

• “I’m angry, but I don’t even know at who.”

• “I’m fine” (when they’re not).

• “I can’t keep up with life anymore.”

• “Everything feels too much.”

• “Even simple things drain me.”

• “I just want to shut down and escape.”

• “No one understands what I’m going through.”

• “I feel invisible.”

• “I’m a burden to the people I love.”

• “I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”

• “My body is holding me hostage.”

• “Every time I try to relax, my mind won’t stop.”

• “I feel like I’m carrying years of stress and I don’t know how to let it out.”

• “Something is stuck inside me and I can’t release it.”

 

Other signs I think could indicate:

-Not trusting any practitioner or doctor 

-Lashing out at practitioner or doctors if you can’t get better in x amount of time

-Blaming others for your health struggles

-Not making progress with the right tools  (diet, herbs, environment) 

-MCAS or histmine issues that won’t go away

 

 

Why Emotions Get “Stored” in the Body

1. Survival Wiring

   • Your nervous system’s #1 job is to keep you safe.

   • When something overwhelming happens (illness, trauma, grief, stress), the body goes into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

   • If the emotion that came up in that moment (fear, rage, grief) felt too unsafe to fully feel or express, the body “locks it away” — like pressing pause.

2. Incomplete Stress Cycles

   • Emotions are biological events first — not just feelings.

   • For example: anger = adrenaline + muscle tension, fear = cortisol + urge to run.

   • If you don’t complete the physical response (shaking, crying, running, yelling), the chemical cocktail lingers in tissues and the nervous system.

   • Over time, those “unfinished stress cycles” pile up → chronic tension, fatigue, flare-ups.

3. The Body Keeps Score (literally)

   • Different emotions often lodge in specific places:

     • Grief → chest, lungs, throat lump

     • Anger → liver, jaw, fists, shoulders

     • Anxiety/fear → stomach knots, tight diaphragm

     • Shame → hunching, heaviness in chest or gut

   • This isn’t random: the nervous system recruits muscles, fascia, and organs during stress, and when stress isn’t resolved, the body holds the memory like a bookmark.

4. Chronic Illness Connection

   • When emotions keep getting suppressed, your system stays in low-level fight-or-flight (sympathetic dominance).

   • This leads to:

     • Inflammation never shutting off

     • Immune system confusion (attacking self, ignoring real threats)

     • Digestive slowdown (gut dysbiosis, food sensitivities)

     • Hormonal chaos (cortisol, thyroid, sex hormones)

   • The body is literally “burning energy to hold everything in place,” which worsens illness and blocks healing.

 

​