7 Common Muscle Tensions caused by Trapped Emotions

We meet different types of people in our everyday life and various types of situations occur. Although we might not be aware of it, these encounters generally leave behind residual feelings. A collection of all the experiences we have ever had is stored in our body over time and we ignore the fact that we are holding so much suppressed energy. The trapped emotions of past experiences and energy can cause our body different chronic disorders, muscle tension or various health conditions. 

What is the main cause of muscle tension

Trauma - Trauma related experiences from our childhood such as violence or ignored injuries, can be by the will or accidental. If these injuries  aren’t properly dealt with, they can lead to chronic fear, stress and events of PTSD which in return give an increase in muscle tension and different other illnesses.

Psychosomatic Stress - This type of stress is a cause of our trapped emotions such as anxiety, anger, frustration or misery, that is generally a result of our thoughts and understanding around the situation based upon our social and formal surroundings which is made up according to different people that we meet in our daily life. 

Pre-conditioned Mindsets - Conditioning starts from an early age and it is strengthened by our parents, teachers, elders and society in general. We go through life with a lot of pre-determined or incorrect beliefs and we never give ourselves the chance to express these emotions. Anger, sadness and fear are more often suppressed rather than dealt with because that is the ‘societal norm’. This suppressed emotion often leads to a host of health complications and stress.

Unhealthy Lifestyle and Habits - Increasing number of sedentary lifestyles and bad habits like irregular sleep, not sitting properly and unhealthy eating increase the chances of us developing muscle tension and fatigue. 

7 type of muscle tension caused by trapped emotion

1. Neck Tension -
Tension in the neck is often a result of one’s fears and trapped emotions. If you face tough times in expressing your honest opinions, thoughts fearlessly, or dealing with social anxiety & trust issues, these emotions may be the reason for muscle pain in the neck region.

2. Shoulder Tension -
If you have muscle tension in your arms and shoulders then it might be the result of too many responsibilities on you. Responsibilities related to work and tasks overload lead to an increase in mental activity and stress and end up causing shoulder muscle tension. 

3. Upper Back Tension -
Muscle tension in the upper back area is usually a result of one undergoing sadness, sorrow or grief. As this area is closest to the heart, it is deeply linked with strong emotions like heartbreak or overwhelming distress.

4. Middle Back Tension -  Muscle Tension in middle back is generally linked to your feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. If you feel that your family or partner is not understanding enough or you feel unsupported & lonely in a relationship then it is likely to cause tension in the middle back area.

5. Lower Back Tension -
The cause of strong pain in the lower back area is often a cause of few of our trapped emotions such as self-acceptance and feelings of guilt. If you’re too hard on yourself, always feel undeserving & unworthy and have lower self-esteem then these emotions are stored in the lower back area causing stiffness and muscle tension in those areas.

6. Abdominal Tension -
Not dealing with certain feelings and emotions properly leads to abdominal tension i.e. stomach pain.
Suppressing or ignoring how you actually feel about someone or a particular situation leads to storing those emotions in your abdominal area leading to cramps, etc.

7. Inner Thigh Tension -
Feeling vulnerable often  is a result of tension in the inner thighs. Being nervous, impatient and lacking trust in your close ones often result in tension in this area. 

How to Release Trapped Emotions

Regularly involving  in breathing exercises, stretching, yoga or deep relaxation massages is very helpful when dealing with muscle tension, trapped emotions caused by pain or trauma. Practicing self-awareness and self-care by doing meditation, mantra chanting or any other activity which may act like a stressbuster for you (like dancing, painting or singing) is something that we should include into our daily lives as they are the best ways to manage trapped emotions and relieve muscle tension.