🌿 When Stress Gets “Stuck”: How Chinese Medicine Explains Modern Burnout
Why your tight shoulders, mood swings, and digestive drama might share the same root — and what you can do today to feel better.
Most of us think of stress as something that happens in the mind. But in Chinese medicine, stress has a physical footprint.
It shows up as:
that tight band across your shoulders
feeling irritable or overwhelmed
PMS hitting harder than it should
tension headaches or jaw clenching
bloating or “stress stomach”
trouble falling asleep because the mind won’t stop spinning
We call this pattern Liver Qi Stagnation — not because anything is wrong with your liver lab values, but because the body’s natural flow gets stuck when life asks more than we can give.
What actually helps?
You don’t need a whole lifestyle overhaul. Small, consistent practices make the biggest difference:
Taking slow, intentional breaths and letting the exhale be longer than the inhale
Gentle movement like walking, stretching, or one minute of twisting to “unstick” tension
Eating warm, simple meals when digestion feels off
Using acupressure points like LV3 or PC6 to calm the mind and release tightness
Creating micro-moments of calm before meals, sleep, or work transitions
These shifts don’t just change how you feel — they change how your body functions.
Research shows that breathwork, mindful movement, and targeted acupressure can lower cortisol, ease anxiety, and improve sleep quality.
In other words: what we call “moving Qi” also shows up in Western physiology as better regulation of the stress response.
Want to go deeper?
This concept is part of a larger pattern we see every day in clinic — and when people understand it, everything from digestion to sleep to mood starts making more sense.
Inside our membership library, you’ll find:
The full Stress & Overwork — Liver Qi Stagnation self-care guide
Nutrition and lifestyle practices you can start immediately
Acupressure charts, breathwork videos, and movement tutorials
Printable weekly practices for building real resilience
If you’ve been feeling “stuck,” burned out, or like stress is living in your body, this is where we start.