How Stress Affects the Body and 9 Daily Practices to Heal by Loretta Green

Let me ask you something tender and honest:

How often do you find yourself saying "I'm fine" when you're anything but? How often do you press through a tight chest, a scattered mind, or an ache in your gut, telling yourself to just get on with it?

If you’re nodding your head right now, please know—I see you. I’ve been there. And more than that, you are not alone.

We live in a culture that praises productivity and perfection. We’re taught to value how much we can do, how quickly we can bounce back, how well we can keep it all together. But what about how we feel? What about the weight we silently carry in our bodies, our breath, our hearts? Stress has become such a normalised part of life that many of us don’t even recognise it anymore. It’s just the water we swim in. But that doesn’t mean it’s not affecting us. And it doesn’t mean it’s something we have to accept as the cost of modern life.

What’s even more insidious is how this chronic stress becomes part of our identity. We forget what it’s like to feel deeply rested. To feel clear-headed. To trust ourselves again. We push through for our families, our work, our responsibilities—but at what cost? When we silence our stress, we silence the body’s wisdom. And the body always keeps the score.

As someone who walks with others on their healing path, I can tell you this with certainty:

Chronic stress is not just in your mind. It’s in your body. It’s in your nervous system. It’s in your cells.

And the good news—the empowering news—is that healing is possible. Not through hustle, but through slowing down. Through remembering. Through restoring the connection between your body, your breath, and your spirit.

What Stress Really Does to the Body

Let’s speak plainly for a moment. Stress is not just a feeling of overwhelm—it’s a physiological cascade.

When you’re under stress, your brain sends a signal to your adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones shift you into “survival mode.” Heart rate increases. Blood pressure rises. Digestion slows. Reproductive and immune systems take a back seat. In the short-term, this response helps us survive danger. But long-term, it creates inflammation, weakens immunity, disrupts hormones, interferes with digestion, and affects your sleep.

Many of the symptoms clients come to me with—fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, frequent illness, digestive issues—are not random. They’re often signs of a system stuck in overdrive. That’s why nervous system regulation and energetic healing are at the center of my work. Because when we work with the body instead of against it, healing becomes not just possible—but sustainable.

I’ve sat with so many beautiful souls in my sessions—people who come in thinking they just need to relax or ease their anxiety, and who end up discovering that stress has been living in their bodies like an old, uninvited houseguest. Sometimes it shows up as chronic fatigue or burnout. Sometimes it’s bloating, digestive issues, inflammation, or that mysterious tension in the shoulders that just won’t go away. Sometimes it’s emotional—irritability, restlessness, numbness, or a quiet sadness you can’t name.

The truth is, your body is always talking to you. Stress is one of its many languages.

When we don’t give ourselves space to feel, to pause, to breathe, the body holds onto everything we don’t process. That can show up in your immune system, your digestion, your sleep, your hormones. It’s all connected.

And the thing about stress? It’s not just about the big moments—the accidents, the arguments, the deadlines. It’s also about the small, repeated micro-stressors. The "everything's fine" when it isn't. The lack of boundaries. The constant notifications. The pressure to be available, successful, calm, beautiful, and endlessly resilient. The alarms going off in the morning, sitting in traffic or rushing to get to the train on time, the hustle of getting everyone out the door on time in the morning. It all adds up. It accumulates. And if we don’t meet it with care, it spills over into every corner of our well-being.

So, how do we begin to unravel it?

How do we start to move from survival mode to a life that feels spacious, grounded, and alive?

Not through more doing. Not through fixing ourselves. But through listening. Listening to the signals your body is sending. Listening to the truth of what you need—not what you should do, or what’s expected, but what actually nourishes you.

Here are some gentle, practical, and compassionate ways to begin supporting your nervous system and your emotional well-being on a daily basis:

1. Morning Grounding Ritual

Start your day with 5 minutes of quiet presence. This can be as simple as sitting up in bed, placing your hands on your heart and belly, and breathing slowly. Inhale for four counts, exhale for six. Feel your body, feel the support beneath you. Let this be your anchor.

Why it works: This breath rhythm stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling safety and calm.

Personal practice: I often begin my day with a mantra of intention. Not complicated. Just a whisper to the universe: "Today is going to be a good day."

2. Gentle Movement (No Pressure)

You don’t need an intense workout to feel good. A slow stretch, a walk in nature, or five minutes of dancing in your kitchen can move stagnant energy. Let your body move in a way that feels good, not punishing.

Tip: Try a few cat-cows, gentle shoulder rolls, or simply swaying with your eyes closed to music you love. Let it be joyful, not obligatory.

Why it works: Movement tells your body you are safe. It encourages lymph flow, boosts endorphins, and clears energetic congestion.

3. Nourishment Without Rules

Rather than obsessing over food rules or diets, practice tuning into your body’s cues. What does your body want to feel nourished? Hydrate well, enjoy warm, easy-to-digest meals when you’re stressed, and try not to skip meals—even if your appetite is low.

Tip: Herbal teas like chamomile, lemon balm, or holy basil can gently soothe your nervous system.

Mini ritual: Bless your food with your hands over the plate, simply saying "May this nourish me deeply." I personally always thank my food for the nourishment it provides, as well.

4. Digital Boundaries

Our devices are a massive source of stress, sometimes without even realising it. Try creating a “sacred off time” each day—maybe the first 30 minutes after waking or the last hour before bed. Let yourself exist without being on call or connected to the digital world.

Try this: Keep your phone on airplane mode until you’ve had your grounding moment in the morning.

Why it works: Our brains need space to rest. Constant alerts keep the nervous system on alert. You’re not meant to be available 24/7.

5. Midday Check-Ins

Set a gentle reminder on your phone (or tie it to lunch or tea time) to check in. Close your eyes. Ask yourself: How am I feeling right now? What do I need? Even just noticing your breath and body for 30 seconds shifts your energy.

Mantra: “I honour what I feel. I listen to what I need.”

Extra idea: Place a small crystal or touchstone in your pocket—each time you feel it, take one conscious breath. I have a flat stone I often carry around in my pocket, and I call it my "Worry Stone." When I touch and rub the smooth surface when I am worried or anxious, it signals to my body and nervous system that I am safe. It helps keep me connected to my body as I feel the smooth, cool surface under my fingers.

6. EFT Tapping or Somatic Touch

Stress gets stored in the body. Emotional Freedom Technique is a tapping technique that you tap on acupressure points on our body. Some somatic touch exercises like covering your eyes with your palms (providing a little bit of pressure on the sockets), giving yourself a hug or gently rubbing your arms can bring immense relief.

Practice: Tap gently under your eyes, on your collarbone, or on the side of your wrist while repeating a phrase like, "Even though I feel overwhelmed, I deeply and completely love and accept myself."

Why it works: This technique calms the amygdala—the brain’s fear center—and rewires stress responses.

Bonus tip: I often incorporate EFT scripts - personalised for you during a session.

7. Energetic Hygiene

If you're sensitive or empathic, you might be absorbing more than your share. Visualising a waterfall of light clearing your field or placing your bare feet on the Earth can help you release what isn’t yours.

Mantra: "I release what is not mine and what no longer serves me."

Visualisation: Imagine roots growing from your feet into the Earth, pulling energy down and out. Feel yourself return.

8. Evening Wind-Down Ritual

Create a sacred space between your day and your sleep. That might look like dimming the lights, turning off screens, lighting a candle, or journaling out your thoughts.

Try this: Write down three things you’re grateful for and one thing you’re releasing. Then place one hand on your chest and say, "I am safe to rest now."

Why it works: Ritual soothes the mind. It tells the body: you’ve done enough. You are enough.

9. Ask for Support

You don’t have to carry it all. Whether it’s a trusted friend, a healing practitioner, or a loved one—let someone witness what you’re holding. You are worthy of support, not just when you break down, but every day.

Reminder: Healing doesn’t mean doing it all alone. Community is medicine.

If you’re reading this with a lump in your throat or tears welling in your eyes—please take a deep breath. Right here. Right now. Let it move through you. Let that breath be your anchor.

There is nothing wrong with you for feeling overwhelmed. There is nothing weak about needing rest. There is nothing lazy about choosing your well-being over hustle. This world moves fast. But you don’t have to. You get to choose a different pace. A different way.

You get to come home to yourself.

So if you’re feeling stretched thin, if you’re noticing the toll that stress is taking on your body, your spirit, your sense of joy—know that there is another path. And it doesn’t require perfection. It only requires presence. One breath at a time. One choice at a time. One small return to your center at a time.

And if you need someone to walk with you—someone who holds the sacredness of your healing with tenderness and deep respect—I’m here.

This is the heart of what I offer inside The Root of Health. Whether through a Reiki session, a 1:1 mentorship, or a custom healing plan—we walk this path together. We slow down. We listen. We begin again, gently.

Your healing matters. Your softness is strength. Your body is wise.

And there is so much more ease available to you than you’ve been led to believe.

With care and devotion,

Loretta Green

Reiki Master Teacher + Energy & Embodiment Coach

Schedule an Appointment with Loretta