Can mental stress or anxiety make your body hurt?
Mental stress or anxiety is an integral part of the modern lifestyle for most people. More so for working mum who are constantly juggling and multitasking work, kids home, work travels, meetings, sitting for long hours at the desk, etc. But this mental stress or anxiety can be the cause of spinal (back & neck) and joint pain. It can either cause pain in the body or lead to an increase in the old pain that was already present in the body. In this blog, lets discuss four ways in which mental stress or anxiety can make your whole body hurt or lead to pain.
 
Firstly, Adrenaline is a hormone that is released every time you are under stress or anxious. It has the effect of constricting or narrowing your blood vessels. This can lead to insufficient amount of blood flowing to the muscles and they go into tension or tightness/spasm which can create pain. 
 
Secondly, stress causes the body to go into a fight or flight mode. With continuous or repeated stress , the body stays under constant tension, leading to pain. This is similar to holding your fist in a clenched position. After sometime the hand and fingers will start to feel fatigued and pain will set in gradually. A common example of this manifestation of stress or anxiety is seen in the tension triangle, where the muscles of the shoulder head and jaw area go into spasm. This muscle tightness can then lead to other problems such as  tension headaches, jaw pain, cervicogenic headaches, etc. 
 
Thirdly, anxiety or stress produces another hormone in the body, known as cortisol. Cortisol is required in small quantities for the body to function but when excessive cortisol is produced it can lead to increased inflammation, which in turn causes increased pain. 
 
Fourthly, when you are stressed or anxious, your posture changes. This is commonly seen as rounded shoulders. In order to balance your head on these rounded shoulders you need to poke your head out, leading to a forward head posture. The muscles in the chest area are more contracted than normal and those on the upper back are lengthened. These poor postures change the length tension relationship between the muscles leading to pain. 
 
There are many ways to combat this stress or mental anxiety, but the easiest one is movement. If you are a busy working mom and don't have spare time for movement it can be done while sitting at your desk as simple desk based exercises. You can find more about them HERE

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach & Certified Posture Expert

I help mums of young kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage back, neck, and nerve pain, even with low energy, brain fog, and little time to spare. My proven system delivers real relief without stealing hours from your already packed day. The result? More productive professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can be fully present with their kids, instead of being sidelined by pain.



My passion comes from personal experience. I’ve been where you are: in pain, overwhelmed, and exhausted. After two pregnancies in three years, juggling my kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was stuck in a constant cycle of back and nerve pain. The physical load of motherhood added strain to my spine and joints. Meanwhile, adrenal fatigue left me drained, even after 10–12 hours of sleep.

Everyday tasks became a struggle. I was forgetful, foggy, and low on energy. Even as a trained physiotherapist and posture expert, I couldn’t escape my own pain. I stood all day at work, spent evenings on the laptop, rocked my kids to sleep, sat through endless meetings, traveled frequently ... I’ve been through it all.

I kept my pain hidden at work, afraid to speak up. I felt like a fraud, someone who coached others on relief strategies but couldn’t find relief herself. I loved my job and my children, but I couldn’t give 100% to either. Pain was holding me back.

One New Year, I made a resolution: to get healthy, not just fix pain, fatigue, or weight. I focused on reducing inflammation, healing my adrenal fatigue, and reclaiming my energy. Slowly but surely, the pain faded. I lost weight, my brain fog cleared, and my energy skyrocketed. Today, my pain is nearly gone. I feel stronger, clearer, and more in control than I have in years.
And now, I want that for you.

I combine professional expertise with lived experience to support other mums like me, those with young kids, high-stress jobs, and no time for complicated health programs. I’ve helped hundreds of women reduce spinal and joint pain, lift their energy, and clear the mental fog that holds them back.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. I got you, mommy!

Let’s get you feeling strong, confident, and fully present at work and at home.
Are you ready to start? Curious about how this works? Just ask.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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