Tis The Season For Tension By Dr. Hailey Jackson

Things can get a little crazy this time of year— change in routine, holidays with extended families, kids being out of school, and the expense of the holiday season. Stress levels have a tendency to increase, and said stress can manifest as tension stored in the body. Specifically, the muscles in the upper neck and traps, the muscles in the jaw, and surprisingly the muscles in the pelvis can become more tense in response to stress. 

Muscle tension in the pelvis can result in a multitude of symptoms including but not limited to: urinary urgency & frequency, hip pain, constipation, low back pain, tailbone pain, pain with intercourse, and much more. 

Symptoms of muscular tension outside of the pelvis include: include headaches, jaw pain, pain in the upper shoulder region or lower neck region, difficulty sleeping, etc. 

Simply being aware of where your body holds stress can help tremendously. If you are feeling the overwhelm of the holiday season, try sprinkling 5-10 deep diaphragmatic breaths throughout your day (not chest breaths, but truly using your diaphragm), while breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 8. Try to simply check in with your body every time you take a drink of water and intentionally relaxing the muscles that carry your tension will help. Lastly, try incorporating a few yoga poses like child’s pose, happy baby, cat cow, and thread the needle right before you go to sleep to calm your nervous system. 

Merry Christmas season— I hope you are able to incorporate a few of these techniques to remain grounded throughout the holiday season and enjoy time with the ones who mean the most to you.  

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