T hat Weird Thing Where Your Brain Talks to Your Organs Why Breathing Actually Works (Even Though It Sounds Dumb) Remember when your ther...
That Weird Thing Where Your Brain Talks to Your Organs
Why Breathing Actually Works (Even Though It Sounds Dumb)
Remember when your therapist, yoga teacher, or that one chill friend told you to “just breathe”? And you rolled your eyes so hard they almost fell out of your head? Same.
But then I tried this ridiculously simple breathing trick when I was feeling anxious:
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Inhale for 4 seconds
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Hold your breath for 2 seconds
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Exhale slowly like you’re whistling (6 seconds)
Repeat that five times.
Guess what happened? My Apple Watch literally told me my heart rate dropped 8 beats per minute. I was like, excuse me?? Yeah and you know there is a fascinating science behind that. According to science when you exhale slowly you activate your parasympathetic nervous system. This nervous system gives you the message that just relax.
So yeah, breathing isn't just hippie fluff. It’s like texting your nervous system “calm down” — and it actually reads the message.
When Emotions Wear a Disguise
You ever had something weird happen with your body and your doctor’s like, “All your tests are normal,” but you still feel like trash?
I’ve seen clients with wild stories like:
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Back pain that mysteriously disappeared after signing divorce papers.
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Chronic hives that cleared up the minute they quit a toxic job.
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Stomach issues that stopped after finally talking through childhood trauma in therapy.
No, they weren’t faking it. Their body was just like, “Yo, I’ve been carrying your emotional baggage for YEARS. Can we deal with this now??”
There’s actually a phrase for this: “The body keeps the score.”
Meaning, when you bottle stuff up, your body holds onto it until it explodes as a rash, a migraine, or random aches. And usually at the worst possible moment. Thanks, body.
The Weird Science You Should’ve Learned in School
Let’s nerd out for a second because this stuff is wild:
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Your gut makes 90% of your serotonin, aka the happy brain chemical. So if your stomach’s upset, your mood probably is too.
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Trauma literally changes how your cells work. Not in a metaphorical way—in a “this shows up in your biology” kind of way.
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Visualization (yup, picturing success in your head) can actually improve your physical performance. Athletes have been doing this for decades.
Basically, your thoughts, your gut, and your body are way more connected than we ever thought. It’s not just “in your head,” but it’s also… totally in your head. And your stomach. And your back. And your jaw. (Seriously, unclench your jaw right now. I’ll wait.)
A Quick Self-Check for Tonight
Okay, next time you’re feeling off—whether it’s a headache, a stomach flip, or weird tension in your shoulders—pause and ask yourself a few things:
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“What am I not dealing with right now?”
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“Where do I feel this in my body?”
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“What would happen if I actually relaxed for five minutes?”
Your shoulders might be carrying anger from a fight you had last week.
Your stomach might be tied in knots over that email you haven’t answered.
Your back could be tensing up because you’re holding in tears.
Sometimes your body says what your mouth won’t.
Look, I Get It. This Stuff Sounds Woo-Woo.
I was the biggest skeptic of this kind of mind-body talk. I figured if something hurt, it was probably from sleeping weird or sitting at my desk too long. But when I started listening to my body? Whew.
Turns out I was walking around with stress knots the size of Texas because I hadn’t forgiven myself for failing at something three years ago. Or I was clenching my teeth over a friendship that went sour and I never talked about it.
I know it sounds dramatic, but your nervous system is kinda dramatic. And that’s okay. The goal isn’t to fix everything overnight. It’s just to start noticing
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