Emotions and muscle tightness

Stress is a demand made upon the living body in the course of a goal-oriented activity.

- Thomas Hanna

Have you experienced your muscles tightening in response to heightened emotions?

What happens when the emotions abate? Does the tightness remain or are you able to relax your muscles fully?

Research by Dr. Robert B. Malmo using using electromyograph (EMG) gradients showed that muscle tension increased as a result of unpleasant emotions.

Further research at Malmo’s McGill laboratory examined what happened when a goal-oriented activity was interrupted. During the activity, muscular tension increased to the point of attaining the goal. If progress toward attaining that goal was interrupted, muscular tension remained.

In another experiment, research participants were asked to tell a story. After listening to the story, half the participants were praised for their performance. These participants experienced a sharp drop in muscle tension. The other half were criticized for their poor performance. This group lost none of the muscle tension they had built up.

Think about that for a second.

A delay in completing an activity or a lack of satisfaction upon completion (in the form of criticism or lack of praise) results in ongoing muscular tension.

This gives us insight into somatic distortion (aka distortion in our body).

The nature of our thinking activity determines the nature of bodily activity. Anxious thoughts create contractions in our body. This is a form of self-destruction. When these thoughts occur regularly, our body becomes fatigued and damaged.

Healthy habit

Choose how to process your experience

There’s no easy solution to this problem.

The first step is to look at the problem and understand it. Notice when it happens. Are there specific patterns you can identify? Specific causes of heightened emotion? Do you feel empowered to do something about it?

Perform an experiment on yourself. Finish a task to completion. Praise yourself on a job well done. How do you feel?

When you experience heightened emotions or other stress on the body, notice your level of muscular tension. Does this build up, stacking on top of previous tension? Do you experience pain or anxiety because of this tension? Can you effectively release it?

Making choices about how we process our experience can make a big difference. If you experience heightened emotions and notice tension in your body remains after resolution, find a way to release it. Go for a walk or take a few minutes to breathe and let go of the tension. Consciously think about how to complete the task or activity to satisfaction. Are you missing praise? Find a supportive friend who will provide this or learn to be your own cheering section.

If it’s something bigger like a toxic job or a negative boss, take action. Look for a better job or a different boss. Don’t get accept situations that are attritional.

Your life depends upon it.