I can feel my emotions in my body. This is true most of the time now, but especially if I’m in a depressive episode.
My shoulders are pulled up toward my ears, as if to hide my neck. I feel pressure and tension in my lower head, on the sides around my ears. So I push my shoulders down and back, and there’s a crunching sound, like my muscles are rolling logs down my bones, and they pop loudly. I turn my head to the side, feel another “pop” and the muscles in my neck stretch down down down along my spine, almost all the way to my waist. I slowly turn my head in the other direction and feel the stretch. There’s brief relief as I try to relax my shoulders, but putting them into a resting position brings them back up and forward.
My jaws ache. My teeth feel loose, and my bottom lip is tight. I’m frowning. I’m not gripping with the back teeth; instead my lower jaw is pulling forward until my bottom teeth hit the inside of my upper teeth, and they stay that way – straining up and tight. I feel them suddenly – I didn’t know I was clenching, and I relax my bite. I open my mouth as if to yawn, trying to relieve the pressure in my ears that has built up from gritting my teeth for who knows how long. That hurts, too.
There’s pressure. Something is sitting on top of my stomach. Yet it’s inside, too, and my stomach churns and rolls over and feels like it’s being chewed on. And there’s fire burning in the pit of my stomach, with the flames licking upward into my rib cage and making it hard to breathe. I say, “My stomach hurts.” I feel like I want to retch. The back of my mouth tastes terrible, like I’m going to be sick. That steely taste that tells me my insides are coming up to my throat. Yet there’s nothing there. And I clench my jaw to hold nothing in.
My chest hurts. It’s like there’s a hole in the center of my body where I think my heart should be. Which is strange, since if my heart is missing, then how can I feel this pain? And at the same time that there’s a hole, there’s also this incredible pressure, like a boulder resting on my chest. It’s so hard to take a deep breath, and it hurts when I try. I can’t get air all the way in. The insides around the center of my chest are jiggling like Jello; they won’t stay still. The fluttering moves down toward my lungs – my ribs are full of this writhing.
At a massage a few weeks ago, the therapist pushed on my calf muscle and my thoughts were flooded with anger and sadness and grief. Caught me completely by surprise. The therapist felt it, too. “Did something just change? Was that you or me?” I told her about my emotional response to her touch, and she told me that many people carry emotion in their legs. It just had never happened to me before.
These are ways that my body holds emotions. Anger. Anxiety. Fear. Grief. Sadness. It hurts! I can feel it, not just in my head, or in my thoughts, but in my body itself. Depression has often been very physical.
On all these occasions, where I can actually physically feel my emotions, the best approach for me has been to breathe. I tell myself:
Focus on taking a breath. Just stop thinking about anything for a second. Put my thoughts on breathing in. Feel the air come in through my nose. See my chest and stomach and shoulders and arms move, feel my head tilt slightly. Don’t think, just watch my body. Hold my breath, just for a few seconds, then loudly exhale. Make all the air leave my lungs. Do it again. Deep breath – feel it, watch it. Hold it – count to four. Don’t think. Just count to four. Now as I breathe out, with my lips making the shape of an “O” and loudly through my mouth, count to six. Make all the air come out. Push it with my diaphragm, with my stomach muscles. Do it again. Breathe in for four – count to four as I take a deep breath through my nose. Hold it – count to four. Breathe out, counting to six. Listen to the sound of the air leaving my lungs, coming out of my mouth.
Breathe in through my nose for a count of four. Hold my breath for four. Making an “O” shape with my mouth, breathe out loudly for a count of six. Repeat as needed until calm enough to think.
There. Better.
Sunny with a Chance of Clouds 
I wonder how many of your blog readers have Fibromyalgia? My flare ups get worse when I am feeling depressed. Also, it seems they last longer. I have heard Fibro is from repressing my feelings. Sometimes I am not even let in on what I am repressing. I also know the barometer affect it, but that is for another type post. I think I believe in the repressing thing , just not sure I can always find what skeleton in the closet is the culprit.
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I didn’t know that about fibro, but I’m not completely surprised, especially given the body-emotions connection. And I’m certain than repressed feelings can come out of our bodies as pain or illness. There’s medical documentation of that! I’m sorry to hear depression makes it worse – fibro is enough all on its own!
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The muscles in the back of my neck shudder as they try to release the stress – it’s weird to describe to people, but sometimes hard to realize I’ve become so tense. If I don’t realize it’s there and let it go on too long – that is when it begins to affect my emotions more.
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The emotion/body connection really shows itself with stress, doesn’t it?!
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I experienced sensations very similar to what you described a few years ago. After several tests, the doc guessed it was stress. But my circumstances didn’t include any obvious stressors. I thought it might be my body adjusting to menopause, but maybe I was depressed – without any accompanying sad or angry thoughts. If that’s possible.
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I’m not sure that feeling emotions in our bodies is exclusive to depression. I think stress does the same thing. And maybe menopause too – I wouldn’t be surprised. I just know that since my depression started, and sometimes even when I’m not in an episode, I can experience these things physically. And since I know what they are, I’m learning to manage them!
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I’m glad you are learning to manage them. When did your depression start?
I went to physical therapy back then for a frozen shoulder. The PT had me do similar breathing exercises and she taught me to breathe from my belly (diaphragm) instead of my chest. It helped.
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I had my first depressive episode in March 2008. And statistically, the more you’ve had, the more you have. So I’ve had 6-10 episodes in 7 years, and have finally accepted it as a part of my life that will ebb and flow, unless God chooses to heal me on this side of heaven. That’s why I write – to offer hope to those who struggle too, especially to Christians.
Boy, breathing from the diaphragm makes all the difference! If I’m doing it right, my stomach should move, not my shoulders. Gotta get that breath down in there, right?!
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I have an acquaintance who lives in Orlando. She has been suffering horribly with depression the last few years – lots of tests and treatments that so far have not helped. Her experience makes me wonder whether menopause triggers the onset in some people. I pray God will heal you both.
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I’ve often wondered how to separate out menopause from depression. I know the change sure can feed the beast!
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Great descriptive post! I am sure many can relate to your words!
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Thanks, Carol.
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Wow! I didn’t realize depression could be so physically painful. Your description really helps to get a snapshot of the life of someone who lives with depression.
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I’m glad I was able to describe what I have experienced. I’ve spoken to others who struggle with depression who also feel it physically. That can actually be one of several indicators, but it can also make depression difficult to diagnose. Physical symptoms are just one piece of the puzzle.
My time in therapy has really helped me identify the symptoms of emotion and try to manage them myself, which is a good thing!
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