“The Weight We Carry: What do emotional cravings really mean?

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Updated: November 25, 2025

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There’s a moment usually after the kids are finally in bed, or when you’re alone in your car, or when you sit still long enough to feel something. When you realize your body has been carrying conversations you never had, disappointments you swallowed down, and emotions you tried to outrun. The body remembers what the mind tries to forget.

And if you’re anything like me, you were never taught to notice the stories your body holds. You were taught to tighten your jaw, suck in your stomach, square your shoulders, pray harder, smile politely, keep the peace, and keep going. Meanwhile, your nervous system was whispering the truth:

“This is too much to carry alone.”

“You don’t feel safe.”

“Something needs care, not ignoring.”

Part 3 is where we get honest about how the nervous system records emotional pain, and how, with God’s help, the body can finally release it. Will also talk about how food comes into play because I am a Health Coach. This is the deep work. But it’s also the healing work.

1. The Front of the Body: Where Vulnerability Lives

If you ever notice how you instinctively cover your chest when you’re hurt, or cross your arms when you’re unsure, or place a hand on your stomach when you’re stressed, that’s not random. The front of your body is the tender territory. It’s the place where fear, grief, disappointment, shame, and emotional overwhelm tend to show up first.

The Chest (Heart-Space)

Tightness in the chest often comes from emotional inhibition, fear, relational injury, and grief. Researchers note that emotional suppression increases sympathetic activation, creating chest pressure and shallow breathing (Gross & Levenson, 1997).

Scripture speaks to this experience:

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” — Proverbs 13:12

It’s where the body says, “My heart needs protection,” long before you admit you’re hurting.

  • Tightness.
  • Pressure.
  • Short breaths.
  • A heaviness you can’t stretch away.

The Gut (Stomach & Lower Belly)

The gut-brain axis is real. Neuroscientists call the gut the “second brain.” I’ve written a few posts on the gut-brain-heart connection

Healthy Gut with Prebiotics

because it holds its own network of over 100 million neurons communicating emotional states through the vagus nerve (Mayer, 2011).

Scripture has been telling us this long before science caught up:

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Psalm 55:4

The Hebrew word for “anguish” here implies a gut-deep churning. The gut is the emotional data center. It’s why you get knots, nausea, bloating, loss of appetite, or sudden hunger. Over the years, I’ve shared the perils of my digestive system, and I have learned that some have been unprocessed traumas from childhood. I’m writing from experience. When you’re pretending to be “fine,” your gut knows you’re not. It’s always the first to tell the truth.

Throat + Jaw

The “I can’t say this out loud” zone. The clenching, swallowing, tightening. That’s where unspoken truths live. If your chest is the place you feel, your throat is the place you silence. None of these responses is “dramatic.” They’re adapted and ultimately protective. Your nervous system is doing what God designed it to do: offer a protective shield.

2. Why Digestion Reacts So Quickly to Emotions

Your gut and brain are in constant conversation. They communicate more than your teenagers. And the messenger delivering every update is the vagus nerve. The main pathway of calm, connection, and safety. When something triggers your fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response, digestion is the first thing to shut down. Because your body says:

“Survive now. Digest later.”

This is why emotional stress can cause:

  • bloating
  • slowed digestion
  • urgent digestion
  • nausea
  • constipation or diarrhea
  • no appetite or overwhelming appetite

You’re not “sensitive.” Your nervous system is reacting to emotional load, not just food that doesn’t serve your body well. Sometimes the issue isn’t what you ate. It’s what you haven’t released.

3. Food Cravings Are Not Random: They’re Messages

Hear me: cravings aren’t a lack of discipline. Your nervous system is sending a message. When you feel overwhelmed, food steps in as comfort, distraction, numbing agent, grounding tool, or emotional anesthesia. Different cravings are trying to tell you different things.

Sugar Cravings

Sugar cravings often rise when you’re overwhelmed, hurting, or exhausted, not because you lack discipline, but because your brain is trying to soothe itself. When emotional pain or chronic stress builds, the nervous system reaches for something fast and familiar that offers a moment of relief. Research shows that sugar activates the brain’s reward centers in the same pathways associated with emotional comfort, which is why it feels calming when you’re stressed (Avena, Rada, & Hoebel, 2008). Chronic stress also raises cortisol, and elevated cortisol makes the brain more sensitive to reward-seeking foods such as sweets (Adam & Epel, 2007; Epel et al., 2001). When the brain is overwhelmed, its ability to self-regulate decreases, making sugary foods even more appealing (Tomiyama, 2019).

So when you crave sugar, it often means:
“I need relief from what hurts.”
“I need softness somewhere.”
“I’m worn out, and my body is asking for comfort.”

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” — Psalm 34:8

There is a deeper sweetness your spirit is longing for. This is not spiritual bypassing this is reflection and reconnection. What are we taking to the pantry that we should be taking to the Cross?

Crunchy, Loud Foods

Crunchy foods are often the body’s built-in tension release. When anger, frustration, or unspoken pressure has nowhere to go, the jaw becomes the outlet. Studies show that chewing can reduce cortisol and temporarily ease stress because the jaw muscles directly influence the sympathetic stress response (Hasegawa et al., 2007; Smith, 2010). Trauma and emotional suppression also commonly settle in the jaw, leading to clenching, grinding, and tension patterns that make crunchy textures feel relieving (van der Kolk, 2014).

These cravings frequently signal:
“I’m holding anger or tension.”
“I need an outlet, but can’t find one.”

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,” — Ephesians 4:26

and don’t shove the anger away with a bag of chips.  Anger isn’t the problem. Holding it in your body is. When I came to this realization, and I am craving chips, or I have literally said, “I just want something crunchy,” then I asked myself What are you not saying? 

My cravings are telling me how I am feeling, and then sometimes I just want something crunchy.  But it’s a powerful reflection tool. Revealing what I’m feeling and why the craving is showing up.

Salty Foods

Salt cravings often appear when you feel depleted, disconnected, or overwhelmed and dehydrated. Salt plays a key role in adrenal function and electrolyte balance, both of which are impacted when the body is under prolonged stress. Research shows that chronic stress can disrupt sodium balance through its effect on the adrenal glands, which may increase salt cravings as the body seeks regulation and grounding (Marquez et al., 2009). Emotional exhaustion can mimic sodium deficiency, leading your body to seek salty foods for a sense of stability.

In emotional language, salt cravings often mean:
“I’m depleted and disconnected.”
“I need grounding.”

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” — Matthew 5:13

Salt represents stability, identity, and presence. The very things your body may be longing to return to.

Overeating or Emotional Eating

Overeating is rarely about food. More often, it is an attempt to soothe emotions the heart hasn’t had space or language to hold. Emotional eating is strongly linked to the desire to avoid difficult emotional states, as researchers have found that food temporarily dampens limbic activity, especially during sadness, loneliness, or overwhelm (Macht, 2008; Tuman et al., 2015). Most of the front body encompasses these feelings. Individuals who struggle to identify or articulate their emotions are significantly more likely to overeat because food becomes a form of emotional translation or escape (van Strien, 2007).

These moments often whisper:
“I need comfort.”
“I want to feel full because I feel empty.”
“I don’t want to sit alone with this pain.”

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” — Psalm 73:26


God is not shaming your hunger. He is inviting you into His comfort. We feel alone and isolated, but the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you. It’s hard, but when we feel the feelings, it’s time to cling and abide in the Savior.

Questions That Shift the Experience

When I offer somatic therapy, I always invite my clients to acknowledge instead of judgment, pause, and ask:

  • “What is my craving trying to comfort or distract me from?”
  •  “What emotion is coming up right now?”
  • “What does my body need that food cannot give me?”

Cravings are not condemnation. They are invitations to listen. And when you pause, breathe, and take a moment, you will be surprised at how much your body wants to say, but you’ve been ignoring it so long. 

4. Scripture Is Embodied: Not Abstract

We talk about rest like it’s something you stumble into on vacation. But biblical rest is embodied. Tangible. Felt in the breath, muscles, and nervous system. It’s only with God. Like it has always meant to be. Abiding in Him.

  • Rest is unclenching your jaw.
  • Rest is breathing slowly enough to feel your heartbeat again.
  • Rest is letting your shoulders drop out of your ears.

“Come to me, ALL you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28

Rest is not a luxury; it doesn’t have to be earned, it’s a gift that is given, it’s a promise.

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I WILL be exalted among the nations, I WILL be exalted in the earth.” — Psalm 46:10

Stillness is a bodily practice, not a mental idea. 

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” — Psalm 23:3

Restoration happens in real time, in real bodies. God has always cared about your nervous system. The world may rush you. But God regulates you.

5. What Somatic Regulation Is, and What It Is Not

Let’s be absolutely clear, especially for the women who have been taught to fear their bodies or mistrust anything that sounds reflective or embodied:

  • Somatic regulation is NOT self-worship.
  • It does not center the self as savior or source.
  • It does not elevate the body above God.

Instead, somatic regulation helps you notice the honest signals your nervous system is sending so you can bring them to God instead of being ruled by them. This aligns with research showing that the body carries unprocessed emotional memory and expresses it through physiological responses (van der Kolk, 2014), not as spiritual rebellion but as survival. Your body is not asking to be worshiped. It’s asking to be listened to so you can respond in truth.

  • Somatic regulation is not empty mindfulness.
  • Mindfulness without God may be quiet, but it is hollow.
  • It is embodied awareness with the Holy Spirit that becomes discernment.

Breath work is not “new age”

Calming practices like slow breathing, grounding, or softening tension are not about “emptying the mind.” They help restore the nervous system’s regulatory capacities. It brings us back to the first gift, the “neshamah,” the “ruach,” the presence of God. It’s what takes us from the acts of the flesh in,

Galatians  5:17; For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They conflict with each other, so you are not to do whatever you want.

And to the differences of acting in your flesh (Gal 5:19-21) or your sympathetic nervous system and your spirit (Gal 5:22-23), your parasympathetic nervous system is activated by a breath. 

What psychologists call neuroception, the body’s subconscious ability to detect safety or threat (Porges, 2011). When neuroception is overwhelmed, it becomes harder to think clearly, hear God clearly, or make wise choices (Dana, 2018). Physiological calm creates space for spiritual clarity. Your body becomes still enough to be led instead of driven.

Regulating is not “new age”

Dr. Bruce Perry describes something profoundly aligned with both Scripture and what we observe in the body: the Three R’s sequence of healing — Regulate, Relate, and Reason.
In his neurodevelopmental research on trauma, Perry shows that the brain cannot think clearly, make wise decisions, or access higher reasoning until the nervous system is regulated first (Perry & Szalavitz, 2006).

In other words, nervous system regulation is not optional.
It is the prerequisite for clarity.

Perry’s model explains it this way:

1. Regulate:
The body must first return to a felt sense of safety.
This involves breath, grounding, movement, warmth, rhythm, and all the practices that calm the brainstem and limbic system. Without regulation, the brain stays in survival mode; reacting, bracing, numbing, craving, or shutting down.

This matches everything Scripture tells us about stillness:
“Be still and know…” (Psalm 46:10).
Stillness (regulation) comes before knowing (reason).

2. Relate:
Only after the body is calm can a person truly connect with others.
Perry notes that co-regulation; feeling safe with another human, is essential for the brain to shift from defense to connection.
This is why community heals what isolation magnifies.

This reflects biblical truth:
“It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).
God heals us through relationship, through belonging, presence, and connection.

3. Reason:
Once regulated and relationally safe, the brain’s cortex becomes accessible.
Only then can we think clearly, reflect, make sound decisions, evaluate cravings, and engage in meaningful spiritual or cognitive work.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

Reason follows regulation, not the other way around. You cannot discipline a dysregulated nervous system. You cannot think your way out of what the body is still holding. You cannot expect a triggered body to make wise choices, spiritually or nutritionally, without restoring safety first.

Regulate → Relate → Reason

This is God’s design reflected in neuroscience. This is somatic discipleship. This is the embodied path to transformation.

Somatic regulation is not “new age.”

This is what Scripture describes when it calls us to be “sober-minded,” “still,” and “watchful.” God never asked you to silence your mind. He asked you to slow down enough to hear Him. Somatic regulation is not “new age.” The new age movement did not invent breath, grounding, or embodiment.

The capacity to sense, notice, and regulate your internal state is built into your biology. God formed the nervous system long before somatic therapy had language for it. The body’s stress responses, bracing patterns, and cycles of activation and deactivation are not mystical ideas; they are measurable physiological processes (Sapolsky, 2004; McEwen, 2007).

Embodied practices are not “new age.”

Even trauma research confirms that the body responds to overwhelming experiences long before the mind does, which is why embodied practices are essential for healing emotional wounds (van der Kolk, 2014; Ogden, Minton, & Pain, 2006). These findings don’t belong to the new age world. They belong to God’s design.

Long before “nervous system regulation” became a wellness trend, God commanded His people to rest, return, breathe, stand, be still, and let Him restore their souls. (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 30:15; Psalm 23) “New age” simply mimics what God authored.  Reclaiming His design is not new age; it’s stewardship.

What IS Somatic Regulation? 

Somatic regulation is the God-designed process of bringing your body back into a felt sense of safety so you can respond to life rather than react from survival. When your nervous system is dysregulated, your body moves into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn patterns that influence your thoughts, your cravings, and even your spiritual receptivity (Porges, 2011; Schore, 2012).

Calming your body helps restore executive functioning, emotional clarity, and interoceptive awareness. The ability to sense what is happening inside your body (Farb et al., 2013). This is essential for spiritual formation because when you are physiologically overwhelmed, it becomes difficult to discern God’s voice from your fear. Somatic regulation is simply the embodied side of discipleship. Your body is practicing what your spirit is learning.

When you:

  • slow your breath
  • unclench your jaw
  • soften your belly
  • ground your feet
  • place your hand on your heart
  • or notice tension with compassion

You are not engaging in self-worship. You are becoming calm enough to surrender. This is physiology bowing to theology. Your body becomes the place where you practice trust, peace, and presence. Somatic regulation is not a spiritual replacement. It is the physical posture that makes spiritual truth accessible again.

Listening to your body will tell you so much about yourself

Your body is not dramatic; your body is honest. Every tight shoulder, every upset stomach, every craving, every jaw clench, every heaviness in your chest, and every moment of fatigue is your nervous system trying to tell the truth you’ve been too busy or too burdened to hear. It’s your body saying, “Beloved, I am holding too much.

But the same God who formed your inward parts knows how to restore them. You don’t have to keep carrying emotional pain in your body. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine. You don’t have to hold everything by yourself. Your body remembers, but it can also release. And God is with you for both.

Coming next: Part 4 — The Release.

If Parts 1–3 helped you understand what your body carries and why, Part 4 will walk you into the part most women never get to experience: how the body actually releases emotional pain with the help of breath, Scripture, and nervous system safety. We’ll talk about embodied forgiveness, spiritual regulation, somatic release, and how God restores what your body has been holding for years. This final part of the series will give you practical tools, biblical insight, and nervous-system-informed steps to experience freedom in your body, not just in your mind.

If this series has spoken to you, I invite you to subscribe so you don’t miss the final part.
And if someone you know is carrying more than she’s letting on, would you share this with her?
It might be the thing she didn’t know she needed.

“What Your Cravings Are Trying to Tell You.” FREE GUIDE

One more thing, Before you click away, I want to invite you to go one step deeper.

If this teaching spoke to something in your body. The cravings, the tension, the exhaustion, the emotional weight you’ve been carrying. I created a free guide just for you:

“What Your Cravings Are Trying to Tell You.”

It’s a short (10 pages), powerful resource that helps you decode emotional cravings through
a faith-filled, nervous-system-informed lens so you can respond with compassion instead of shame.

Click below to download your free guide and begin listening to your body in a new way.
Your healing starts with understanding.

Download the Free Emotional Cravings Guide

References


Adam, T. C., & Epel, E. S. (2007). Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiology & Behavior, 91(4), 449–458. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938407001278?via%3Dihub

Avena, N. M., Rada, P., & Hoebel, B. G. (2008). Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 32(1), 20–39. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763407000589?via%3Dihub

Dana, D. (2018). The polyvagal theory in therapy: Engaging the rhythm of regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Epel, E., Lapidus, R., McEwen, B., & Brownell, K. (2001). Stress may add bite to appetite in women: A laboratory study of stress-induced cortisol and eating behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 26(1), 37–49. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453000000354?via%3Dihub

Farb, N. A. S., Segal, Z. V., & Anderson, A. K. (2013). Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 8(1), 15–26. https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/8/1/15/1696050

Gross, J. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1997). Hiding feelings: The acute effects of inhibiting negative and positive emotion. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106(1), 95–103. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0021-843X.106.1.95

Hasegawa, Y., Ono, T., Iida, T., Kokubo, Y., Sasaki, M., & Kato, T. (2007). Effects of chewing on stress relief by measuring saliva cortisol levels. Journal of Prosthodontic Research, 51(4), 199–204. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17362423/

Macht, M. (2008). How emotions affect eating: A five-way model. Appetite, 50(1), 1–11. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666307003236?via%3Dihub

Marquez, C., Poirier, G. L., Cordero, M. I., Larsen, M. H., Groner, A., & Sandi, C. (2009). Peripubertal stress leads to abnormal aggression, altered amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex functions, and increased salt consumption in adulthood. Journal of Neuroscience, 29(8), 115–121. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23321813/

Mayer, E. A. (2011). Gut feelings: The emerging biology of gut–brain communication. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12, 453–466. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3071

McEwen, B. S. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: Central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews, 87(3), 873–904. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00041.2006

Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why zebras don’t get ulcers: The acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping (3rd ed.). Holt Paperbacks.

Schore, A. N. (2012). The science of the art of psychotherapy. Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology. W. W. Norton & Company.

Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2006). The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrist’s notebook. Basic Books.

Smith, A. (2010). Effects of chewing gum on cognitive function, mood and physiology in stressed and non-stressed volunteers. Nutritional Neuroscience, 13(1), 7–16. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/147683010X12611460763526

Tomiyama, A. J. (2019). Stress and obesity. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 703–718. https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102936

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What do you do with emotional pain in the body?

by

Updated: November 19, 2025

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The Weight We Carry — Part 2

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your lifestyle, diet, or supplement routine.

Welcome back to The Weight We Carry, a series where we’re learning how emotional pain stored in the body, spiritual wounds, and embodied experiences shape our health in ways many of us were never taught.

If you read Part 1, you already know this truth well: your body is not betraying you; it’s speaking.
Some of our bodies whisper.
Some of our bodies groan.
And some of our bodies are screaming for attention because we’ve been too overwhelmed, or too disconnected, also known as dissociated, to hear them.

There’s a quote that captures this beautifully:

“Listen to your body when it whispers so you don’t have to hear it scream.”

Scripture has been telling us the same thing long before neuroscience caught up:

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” — Proverbs 17:22

Your body, mind, and spirit are not separate. When emotions go unprocessed or unspoken, they don’t disappear; they settle. They may settle into your chest as tightness or heaviness. They may settle into your gut, stirring anxiety or digestive distress. They may settle into your shoulders, creating tension or a sense of carrying too much. They may settle into your jaw through clenching or grinding. They may even settle into your bones or into the rhythm of your breath, shaping how your body moves through the world.

Today, in Part 2, we’re going deeper into how emotions manifest physically, how they can become dis-ease or chronic conditions when ignored, how Scripture speaks to this truth, and what to do next.

How to Unpack Emotional Pain Stored in the Body

Symptoms of Emotions: When Feelings Become Ailments

Unprocessed emotions can contribute to:

  • Joint pain
  • Inflammation
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Digestive distress
  • Autoimmune symptoms
  • Chronic tension
  • Stress-related illness

Your body is not “dramatic.” Your body is honest. It wants you to listen.

Researchers in the field of psychoneuroimmunology have shown that emotional stress creates real physical changes in the brain, nervous system, and immune system (Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2015). What you feel emotionally often shows up physically as tension, pain, or discomfort.

We live in a time when chronic stress is normalized—even though the body was never designed to carry stress long-term. But the conversation is shifting. Science is finally confirming what Scripture has always taught: the heart, mind, and body are deeply connected.

Over the past several years, I have studied the link between emotional pain and physical pain. Through research, my work in holistic health, and the stories of the women I serve. What I’ve discovered is striking: many of the aches, tight places, and symptoms we feel are not just physical problems. They are responses to emotional experiences that were never processed or healed.

This realization is what inspired this series and my book, The Embodied Beloved. I hope that as you understand the connection between emotions and the body, you can begin moving toward true healing: body, mind, and spirit.

Mind Body Connection to physical ailments

When emotions are unexpressed or unhealed, they don’t fade. They settle into the body and contribute to inflammation, chronic pain, digestive discomfort, headaches, and more (Lumley et al., 2011). The examples below are not diagnoses but invitations to curiosity. Listening for what your body may be communicating.

Arthritis: Resentment, Self-Criticism & Feeling Unloved

Emotional Root
Arthritis involves inflammation and stiffness in the joints. Studies show that long-term emotional stress, especially resentment, harsh self-criticism, or chronic feelings of being unloved, can raise inflammation and increase pain sensitivity (Lumley et al., 2011; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2015). Somatically, joints represent movement and flexibility; when emotions remain unprocessed, the body can become physically rigid.

Spiritual Reflection
Scripture describes bitterness as creating a hardened heart, and God invites us into softness and restoration.

Somatic Practice
Gentle heart-opening stretches and Butterfly Hugs calm the vagus nerve and support emotional release.

Joint Pain: Struggling to Move Forward

Emotional Root
Joint pain often reflects inner resistance, fear of change, difficulty letting go, or uncertainty about the future. Emotional stress increases inflammation and heightens pain perception (Wiech & Tracey, 2009). Resistance to life transitions is also linked to physical symptoms (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).

Spiritual Reflection
God promises to guide your steps, even when you feel stuck.

Somatic Practice
Cross-body movements restore rhythm and help the brain shift out of “stuckness.” Walking without rules mirrors the spiritual practice of trusting God one step at a time.

Inflammation: Fear and Overthinking

Emotional Root
Chronic fear, worry, and overthinking elevate cortisol and activate the immune system, causing inflammation (Slavich, 2020; Irwin & Cole, 2011). Anxiety keeps the body in fight-or-flight, preventing healing.

Spiritual Reflection

Somatic Practice
Cooling breathwork, gentle neck rolls, and Scripture meditation help reduce emotional “heat” and calm the nervous system (Streeter et al., 2012).

Fractures & Breaks: Internal Conflict or Feeling Unsupported

Emotional Root
Bones represent structure and support. Stress, relational conflict, and emotional upheaval can slow bone healing (Reynolds et al., 2007). Feeling unsupported, by God, self, or others, can manifest physically.

Spiritual Reflection

Somatic Practice
Surrender breathwork and Child’s Pose encourage grounding, humility, and safety.

Headaches: Overthinking & Suppressed Grief

Emotional Root
Tension headaches often stem from mental overload or unexpressed emotions. Rumination increases headache frequency (Holroyd et al., 2000), and unresolved grief can lead to somatic pain (Prigerson et al., 2009).

Spiritual Reflection

Somatic Practice
Neck rolls, Butterfly Hugs, and breath prayers (“Inhale: You are my peace. Exhale: I release my burden.”) help release tension and regulate the nervous system.

Understanding the Vagus Nerve & Somatic Exercise

The vagus nerve runs from the brainstem through the face, throat, heart, lungs, and digestive organs, touching nearly every major system. When calm, it activates rest, digestion, clarity, and emotional regulation (Thayer & Lane, 2000; Porges, 2011). When overwhelmed, you may feel tense, anxious, or shut down.

This is where somatic practices become powerful.

Somatic exercises are gentle, nervous-system-supportive movements: Butterfly Hugs, rocking, grounding, cross-body movements, shaking, and deep belly breathing, that help release stored tension and reconnect you with your body. These practices are evidence-based (Levine, 2010; van der Kolk, 2014) and deeply supportive for emotional healing.

In my own life and in the lives of the women I serve, somatic work has been transformational. It connects what we know with what we feel and helps the whole self come into alignment with God’s presence and peace. If you want to begin incorporating somatic exercises, the FaithFueled Life App includes a full library of trauma-informed, Christ-centered practices you can use anytime. I have also started a new YouTube Channel offering Somatic Exercises Flows every Friday and Prayer and Meditation on Wednesdays.

How to Start Healing: Body, Mind & Spirit

You honor God by letting Him heal what your body has been holding. If you recognize yourself in these patterns, pause and take a deep breath. You are not broken. You are being reshaped, healed, and brought into wholeness. Healing begins when we stop ignoring the signals our bodies send and begin responding with compassion. You do not have to push through or pretend to be fine. God welcomes every part of you, your emotions, your questions, your pain, into His healing presence.

Your Body Is a Temple, Not a Storage Unit

You were not created to hold grief, shame, anger, or rejection forever. Jesus came to restore your whole being, mind, body, and spirit.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

Scripture affirms the integrated nature of the body and spirit (Genesis 2:7; Psalms 31 and 38). Theologian N. T. Wright reminds us that the body is the place where “heaven and earth meet.” Early church father Irenaeus wrote, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Modern science confirms this truth. Chronic stress and unprocessed emotions increase inflammation and illness (Segerstrom & Miller, 2004). Embodiment practices help regulate the nervous system and support God’s healing work.

Coming Next: Part 3

How the Nervous System Stores (and Releases) Emotional Pain

We’ll explore:

  • emotions that show up in the front of the body
  • why digestion reacts to emotions
  • how food cravings reveal unprocessed pain
  • what Scripture teaches about embodied rest
  • somatic regulation through a Christian lens

Make sure you’re subscribed. Part 3 is where everything begins to click. (Bottom right corner in the teal box.)

Listening to the Body’s Questions

Your body often speaks when your soul is weary:

  • If your knees ache: What am I resisting?
  • If your stomach churns: What fear am I struggling to digest?
  • If your shoulders are heavy: What burden have I picked up that God never placed on me?

Healing is available, in Christ, in community, and yes, even through your body.

I’m opening registration soon for my 12-Week Reclaim Your Temple small group coaching program. I only hold space for eight women at a time because this work is deep, personal, and truly transformational. If you’ve been sensing that God is inviting you into a season of healing, embodiment, and renewal, now is the time to reserve your spot.

Your body and your whole life will feel the difference. You are not alone. You are not too late. You are not too much. You are deeply loved by the God who not only sees your pain but longs to walk you through it.

It’s time to reclaim your temple, one breath, one stretch, one Scripture, one surrender at a time.

If you are ready to begin healing, the FaithFueled Life App includes guided somatic exercises, grounding practices, breathwork, and gentle movement sessions designed to help your nervous system release what it has been holding. These tools are evidence-based, trauma-informed, and rooted in biblical truth. They pair perfectly with this series.

Healing is not something you have to figure out alone.
Join me inside the FaithFueled Life App and begin honoring God with your whole temple, body, mind, and spirit.

“Where do you feel emotional stress show up in your body most often?”

Sources

Irwin, M. R., & Cole, S. W. (2011).

Reciprocal regulation of the neural and innate immune systems. Nature Reviews Immunology, 11(9), 625–632.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nri3042

Lumley, M. A., Schubiner, H., Lockhart, N. A., Kidwell, K. M., Harte, S. E., Clauw, D. J., & Williams, D. A. (2011).
Emotional awareness and expression therapy, cognitive–behavioral therapy, and education for fibromyalgia: A cluster-randomized controlled trial.
PAIN, 152(12), 314–325. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28796118/
Holroyd, K. A., Drew, J. B., Cottrell, C. K., Romanek, K., & Heh, V. (2000).

Perceived self-efficacy, emotional distress, and headache-related disability. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 40(5), 445–456.

https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1526-4610.2000.00068.x

Prigerson, H. G., Shear, M. K., Jacobs, S. C., Reynolds, C. F., Maciejewski, P. K., Davidson, J. R., & Zisook, S. (1999).

Consensus criteria for traumatic grief. British Journal of Psychiatry, 174(1), 67–73.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/abs/consensus-criteria-for-traumatic-grief/CB5301ED7A8476AD00C610146529DA7C

Porges, S. W. (2011).

The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton.

Reynolds, M. L., Melloh, M., Staubli, P., & Käfer, W. (2007).

Influence of psychosocial factors on recovery from fractures: A systematic review. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 39(6), 457–462.

https://medicaljournals.se/jrm/content/abstract/10.2340/16501977-0072

Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004).

Psychological stress and the human immune system: A meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological Bulletin, 130(4), 601–630.

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0033-2909.130.4.601

Slavich, G. M. (2020).

Social safety theory: A biologically based evolutionary perspective on life stress, health, and behavior. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 16, 265–295.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32141764

Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A., & Brown, R. P. (2012).

Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical Hypotheses, 78(5), 571–579.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306987712000321?via%3Dihub

Thayer, J. F., & Lane, R. D. (2000).

A model of neurovisceral integration in emotion regulation and dysregulation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 61(3), 201–216.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032700003384?via%3Dihub

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014).

The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

Wiech, K., & Tracey, I. (2009).

The influence of negative emotions on pain: Behavioral effects and neural mechanisms. NeuroImage, 47(3), 987–994.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053811909005862?via%3Dihub

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How to Unpack Emotional Pain Stored in the Body

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Updated: November 11, 2025

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your lifestyle, diet, or supplement routine.

Your body has been talking to you longer than you think. It carries your joy, your breakthroughs, your hard seasons, and yes, your unspoken pain. Even when you push through, keep going, and stay strong for everyone else, your body remembers. Every ache, tight shoulder, fluttering stomach, and lingering fatigue can be a gentle knock saying, “There’s something here that needs tending. I’m trying to get your attention, and you have been ignoring me for way too long.”

Our bodies are incredible. They move, heal, adapt, and strengthen. But did you know that your body is also a storyteller? It holds memories, emotions, and past traumas. Even when your mind has long tried to forget them, every ache, tension, and chronic issue may be a whisper of something deeper, an untold story waiting for acknowledgment and healing.

For over a year, I’ve been deeply immersed in research, studying how unprocessed emotions impact your health, hormones, and physical well-being. And the truth is: your body tells the truth even when your mouth can’t. I want to show you how emotional and spiritual wounds often show up physically, and how we can begin to heal through Scripture, somatic practices, and surrender to Christ.

The Mind-Body Connection in Scripture

The Bible speaks clearly about the deep connection between our bodies, minds, and spirits. Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” When Elijah was exhausted and overwhelmed, God didn’t start with a sermon. He started with rest. He fed him, let him sleep, and gave him space to breathe (1 Kings 19). Hannah’s emotional pain showed up in her body long before her prayer found words, her tears, her trembling, her inability to eat (1 Samuel 1). These aren’t just stories; they are examples and invitations, reminders that God has always cared about the whole you.

Long before modern research, Scripture showed us that emotional and spiritual pain can shape the physical body. Now science is finally catching up. This is where neurotheology; the study of how spiritual practices affect the brain, comes in.

Neurotheology: Where Scripture Meets Science

Over the last year, I’ve been captivated by how neurotheology puts language to what believers have felt in our bones for generations, faith changes us. It changes our bodies, our emotions, our chemistry, our healing. So much of what I’ve discovered is woven throughout my book, The Embodied Beloved, where I explore how science keeps catching up to the truth God spoke first.

Prayer Changes the Brain

Neuroimaging research shows that prayer activates and strengthens regions of the brain connected to emotional regulation, empathy, and resilience. In other words, prayer literally helps your brain calm down, think clearly, and respond with compassion rather than reactivity.


Newberg and his team found that “prayer and spiritual contemplation are associated with increased activity in prefrontal regions involved in attention and emotional regulation.”
— Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging (2015)

What does that mean for you, practically? When you pray, you are “talking to God”, and your brain is shifting out of survival mode and into a state where you can feel grounded, focused, and emotionally safe. Prayer creates space for your nervous system to settle. It quiets the parts of your brain that panic, spiral, or ruminate, and strengthens the areas that help you make wise decisions, show compassion, and stay anchored in truth. This is why, after a moment of honest prayer, whether whispered, shouted, or held in silence. You feel your shoulders drop, your chest loosen, or your breath slow. Your body is responding to the presence of God.

Prayer is not only spiritual.
It is physiological.
It is healing.
It is regulating.
It is a divine invitation for your whole being, mind, body, and soul, to return to peace.

Worship Regulates the Nervous System

Singing and worship create parasympathetic (rest-and-restore) activation. We often live from our sympathetic nervous system, especially if we’ve been in a constant state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Worship and singing will activate our “parachute” or our parasympathetic nervous system and gently lower our body to a place of safety. Once we are regulated, we can relate to others and reason well, making better decisions. A great way to do that is to belt it out to your favorite worship song.

“Group singing regulates breathing, increases heart rate variability, and synchronizes vagal activity.”
— Vickhoff et al., Frontiers in Psychology (2013)

Meditating on Scripture Rewires Thought Patterns

Romans 12:2 is not just a metaphor. It’s a description of neuroplasticity, the God-designed ability of your brain to change, form new pathways, and release old patterns. Scripture calls it “renewing your mind,” and science calls it “rewiring your brain,” but both are describing the same miracle.

What we repeat begins to take root in us, and what we continually meditate on shapes who we become. Every time you return to Scripture, every time you redirect your thoughts toward truth, and every time you choose to speak life instead of fear, you are literally reshaping the architecture of your brain.

Research confirms this. Lazar and her team found that “meditation increases cortical thickness in regions related to memory, self-awareness, and compassion.”
— NeuroReport (2005)

Practically, this means sitting with God’s Word strengthens the parts of your brain that help you remember what is true, stay anchored in your identity in Christ, and respond with grace rather than reaction. It means your brain becomes more resilient and less easily hijacked by old wounds or automatic thought patterns. It means the truths you meditate on don’t just stay in your mind. They settle into your body. This is why meditating on Scripture goes deeper than positive thinking. You’re not simply trying to “think better”; you’re partnering with the Holy Spirit to create new neural pathways that are aligned with God’s truth.

Over time, those new pathways become the main roads your thoughts naturally travel on, and peace begins to feel like your default. Wisdom comes more readily, compassion flows with greater ease, and the old patterns, fear, shame, and survival thinking, gradually lose their power. Meditation is far from passive; it is a powerful and deeply renewing practice. As you meditate on God’s Word, you allow Him to reshape your inner world so that transformation can begin to show up in your outer world as well.

Connection With God Lowers Stress and Inflammation

Longitudinal research shows that spiritual engagement predicts better immune function.
“Higher levels of religiousness/spirituality were associated with lower IL-6 and CRP levels.”
— Vagnini et al., Annals of Behavioral Medicine (2024)

Trauma changes the nervous system, immune responses, and brain-body communication.

“Adverse experiences become embedded in biological systems, shaping inflammation, neuroendocrine function, and long-term health.”
— Danese & Lewis, Psychoneuroendocrinology (2017)

Neurotheology simply gives language to what the Word has taught all along. Your spiritual life is inseparable from your physical and emotional health. As image reflectors of a triune God, we are triune beings, mind, body, and spirit. Never meant to be compartmentalized or separated.

Jesus Modeled Integrated Healing

Jesus modeled holistic healing perfectly. When He healed, He never treated symptoms in isolation. He restored the whole person: body, mind, heart, and spirit (Luke 8:43–48). His ministry reveals that true healing is always an integrated process. And as image-bearers of God (Genesis 1:27), we are called to steward our entire being. Not only through nutrition and movement, but also by addressing the deeper emotional and spiritual burdens we carry.

How Emotional Pain Manifests in the Body

Unresolved emotional pain often manifests as physical discomfort, chronic illness, or tension.


“Traumatic stress produces lasting alterations in the autonomic nervous system, immune function, and interoceptive pathways.”
— Kearney et al., Frontiers in Neuroscience (2022)

Below is a general emotional pain chart used as a reflection tool (not a diagnosis) In the next four weeks will explore more body parts and emotions:

This aligns with embodied emotion research:
“Different emotions are associated with discretely perceivable bodily sensations.”
— Nummenmaa et al., PNAS (2014)

Recognizing the Root Cause

We often seek relief from symptoms, stretching the tight spot, massaging the ache, taking something for the headache, pushing through the fatigue. But true healing requires going deeper. Physical discomfort is often the body’s language for emotional or spiritual weight we haven’t yet acknowledged. Pain can be an invitation, not a punishment; a signal that something within you needs attention, compassion, or release.

Here are some reflective questions to help you begin that deeper work:

What was happening in my life when this pain first started?
Your body often responds to stress, conflict, or loss before your mind fully processes it. Naming the season gives you context for the sensation.

What emotions am I avoiding or suppressing?
Many of us learned early on to stay strong, stay silent, stay “fine.” But emotions that aren’t expressed don’t disappear; they settle.

What past experiences might still be shaping how I feel today?
Sometimes the body is reacting to something old that never had a chance to resolve. Your body remembers what your mind tries to move past.

Have I truly surrendered this burden to God, or am I still carrying it on my own strength?
Surrender is not weakness; it is alignment. Healing begins when we stop holding everything ourselves.Scripture calls us into this deeper, honest reflection. It invites us to connection. First with God, and then with community.

This isn’t about shame; it’s about release. Healing accelerates when what was hidden becomes held, by God, by trusted community, and even by your own compassionate awareness. Naming the burden loosens the grip it has on your body. Prayer invites God into the places where your body has been holding what your heart never meant to carry alone.

Healing Through Movement and Faith

Movement is one of God’s most powerful healing tools.

Breathwork & Prayer

“Slow breathing increases heart rate variability, strengthens vagal tone, and reduces stress markers.”
— Laborde et al., Psychophysiology (2022)

Stretching & Mobility

Mindful movement opens the body and regulates the nervous system.

Strength Training

Resistance training enhances emotional resilience and reduces chronic stress.
“Exercise reduces anxiety sensitivity and improves affect regulation.”
— Fetzner & Asmundson, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (2015)

Dance & Joyful Movement

“Dance/movement therapy shows promise for reducing trauma symptoms and improving emotional processing.”
— Bradt et al., The Arts in Psychotherapy (2015)

Everything God commands us to do with our bodies is for our healing, restoration, and worship. I have learned so much and have so much to share that I am splitting it up into a 4-Part Journey Through Emotional Pain in the Body.

This series is called “The Weight We Carry” If this resonated with you, this is only the beginning. Subscribe to the bottom left-hand side of this blog and receive the next four parts of this series.

We’ll dig deeper into:

  • Why emotions show up as physical sensations
  • Where different types of emotional pain settle
  • What stress and overwhelm do to hormones
  • How trauma shapes the nervous system
  • How embodiment supports healing
  • How Scripture invites us to release what we’ve been carrying
  • What foods nourish emotional pain vs. what we use to cope

It’s Bible + neuroscience + compassion + embodiment.
It’s the work women have been asking me for and a natural progression to my new book The Embodied Beloved. And it’s the work God has been preparing me to write. Keep an eye out. The first installment drops next week.Your body is telling a story. Together, we’re going to learn how to listen.

Did you realize your emotions may be showing up as physical pain?

Bible References

BibleGateway. (n.d.). Luke 8:43–48 (Christian Standard Bible). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%208%3A43-48&version=CSB

Newberg, A. B., Monti, D. A., Harrison, G. F., & Wintering, N. A. (2015). Cerebral blood flow differences between long-term meditators and non-meditators. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 231(3), 218–225. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925492715000293?via%3Dihub

Vickhoff, B., Malmgren, H., Åström, R., Nyberg, G., Ekström, S.-R., Engwall, M., Snygg, J., Nilsson, M., & Jörnsten, R. (2013). Music structure determines heart rate variability of singers. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, Article 334. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00334/full

Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Wasserman, R. H., Gray, J. R., Greve, D. N., Treadway, M. T., McGarvey, M., Quinn, B. T., Dusek, J. A., Benson, H., Rauch, S. L., Moore, C. I., & Fischl, B. (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. NeuroReport, 16(17), 1893–1897. https://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/abstract/2005/11280/meditation_experience_is_associated_with_increased.5.aspx

Vagnini, K. M., Edwards, E. M., McClain, M., & Lundberg, K. (2024). Religiousness/spirituality, psychological well-being, and inflammatory markers: A longitudinal analysis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Advance online publication. https://academic.oup.com/abm/article-abstract/58/7/477/7682359?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Danese, A., & Lewis, S. J. (2017). Psychoneuroimmunology of early-life stress: The hidden wounds of childhood trauma? Psychoneuroendocrinology, 82, 140–145. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453016302116?via%3Dihub

Kearney, D. J., Simpson, T. L., Malte, C. A., & Felleman, B. I. (2022). Neurobiological pathways of traumatic stress: Implications for treatment. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16, Article 867192. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.867192/full

Nummenmaa, L., Glerean, E., Hari, R., & Hietanen, J. K. (2014). Bodily maps of emotions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(2), 646–651. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1321664111

Laborde, S., Mosley, E., & Thayer, J. F. (2022). Heart rate variability and slow-paced breathing: A conceptual review. Psychophysiology, 59(1), e14021. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psyp.14021

Fetzner, M. G., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2015). Aerobic exercise reduces symptoms of PTSD: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 44(3), 240–252. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16506073.2015.1008033

Bradt, J., Goodill, S. W., & Dileo, C. (2015). Dance/movement therapy for psychological trauma. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 44, 1–9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197455614001270?via%3Dihub

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Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Science-Backed Strategies and Practical Tools You Can Apply Today

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Posted: August 13, 2025

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your lifestyle, diet, or supplement routine.

If you live with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), you already know it’s far more than “just being tired.” It’s a whole-body condition that impacts your energy, brain, muscles, hormones, and even your ability to process everyday stressors. In recent months, I’ve been diving deeper into studying this condition, and I’ve been surprised by how many of my health coaching clients have received this diagnosis. I had no idea how prevalent it is or how deeply it can affect someone’s ability to live well.

CFS can make life feel unpredictable. One day, you might have the energy to go for a short walk, and the next, even showering feels like climbing a mountain. But while there’s currently no “cure” for CFS, there are ways to manage symptoms, improve your quality of life, and live more fully, without burning out. Today, I want to share science-backed insights and practical tools you can start using right now to support your energy, body, and mind. As a believer, I’m reminded of 3 John 1:2, “Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually.” That’s God’s heart for us even when our body feels weak, His desire is wholeness in body, mind, and spirit.

Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

In my work as a Holistic health practitioner, I’ve noticed a significant increase in women coming to me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, especially in recent years. These aren’t just women who are “tired” from busy lives. They are women whose bodies have reached a point of deep, systemic depletion.

From what I’ve seen, it’s rarely just one cause. It’s the stacking of environmental, social, spiritual, and physical stressors over time that pushes the body past its capacity to recover.

  • Environmental: Daily exposure to toxins in food, water, and air; disruption to natural circadian rhythms from artificial light; overstimulation from constant device use. Check out my blog post Detox your skincare
  • Social: The relentless pressure to perform, overcommitment, and the cultural absence of true rest and community care. Check out my post, Breaking up with busyness
  • Spiritual: Disconnection from God’s rhythms of Sabbath and restoration; carrying emotional and relational burdens alone. Check out my post Overcoming Time Starvation
  • Physical: Past infections, hormonal imbalance, metabolic dysfunction, and ongoing inflammation. Check out my blog post about Hormonal Imbalances and health

For years, I have been writing about how our temple is more than just food and nourishment. It’s about a holistic approach to wellness.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines ME/CFS as a serious, long-term illness that affects many body systems and often makes it hard to do even daily activities (CDC, 2024). The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2015) further describes it as a “complex, systemic disease” involving profound fatigue, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, cognitive impairment, and orthostatic intolerance.

Science is confirming what I’ve witnessed firsthand: chronic physical, emotional, and environmental stressors can disrupt immune regulation, impair hormonal balance, and interfere with cellular energy production, root causes linked to the symptoms of CFS.

This is why I believe supporting CFS must be more than symptom management. It requires addressing the whole person, body, mind, and spirit, so we can restore the energy God designed us to have.

What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex, long-term illness that affects multiple systems in the body. It is marked by persistent, overwhelming fatigue that lasts for six months or more and is not relieved by rest. Many people with CFS experience post-exertional malaise (PEM), which is a significant worsening of symptoms after even small amounts of physical or mental activity. Other common symptoms include cognitive difficulties, often referred to as “brain fog,” sleep that does not feel restorative, muscle or joint pain, dizziness, and flu-like symptoms.

While the exact cause of CFS is still not fully understood, research suggests several underlying factors may contribute to its development. These include immune system dysregulation, where the immune response may be overactive or impaired; mitochondrial dysfunction, which reduces the body’s ability to produce energy at the cellular level; imbalances in the autonomic nervous system, which regulates functions like heart rate and blood pressure; and hormonal imbalances, particularly involving the stress hormone cortisol.

Because CFS impacts the body so broadly, the most effective approach to support and management is holistic. This means addressing lifestyle habits, nutrition, gentle and appropriate movement such as somatic practices, mental health, and nervous system regulation together.  Its treated as a whole rather than focusing on a single symptom or system in isolation. As believers, we also know that true restoration isn’t just physical because we are more than just a body. It comes when our mind, body, and spirit are aligned with God’s design. While the journey may be slow, we can trust that the Lord is renewing our strength day by day, just as He promised in

Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

It’s not just poetic, it’s redemptive, and I want to offer some holistic approaches to support your Chronic Fatigue syndrome.

1. Learn to “Budget” Your Energy

One of the most helpful concepts for CFS is The Spoon Theory, created by Christine Miserandino. Imagine you wake up each day with a limited number of “spoons,” or units of energy. Every activity, for example, brushing your teeth, cooking, and working, all use up spoons. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Why it works:

Pacing prevents post-exertional crashes and helps you stay within your “energy envelope,” a concept supported by studies on activity management in CFS patients.

Practical steps:

  • Track your spoons for a week to learn your patterns.
  • Prioritize essential tasks; let go of the rest or delegate.
  • Insert rest periods before you feel exhausted, not after. This is a preventative approach, not reactive.

2. Move Gently, Not Aggressively

For people without CFS, “just exercise more” might help energy levels. For CFS patients, too much too soon can trigger a flare-up. The goal is to maintain mobility, circulation, and muscle health without overtaxing your system.

Research shows that overly aggressive exercise programs can worsen symptoms in CFS. Gentle, restorative movement supports circulation, mood, and joint health without spiking energy demand.

Practical steps:

  • Start low and slow: Begin with 5–10 minutes of gentle stretching, somatic movement, or restorative stretching that integrates movement, breath, and flexibility. We have FaithFueled Flow movement on the FaithFueled Life App, and our Somatic Practice library is growing. It offers the truth of Scripture with somatic movement.
  • Focus on symmetry and stability (especially important if you have joint issues).
  • Avoid high-intensity cardio or heavy lifting until you have a stable baseline. It takes time. You can get back to a cardio routine if you give yourself time to restore your body and energy.

3. Prioritize Restorative Sleep

Sleep in CFS often doesn’t feel refreshing, even if you get a full night. But improving sleep quality (not just quantity) can make a difference. Poor sleep can worsen inflammation, impair immune function, and lower pain thresholds; these are all factors in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms.

Practical steps:

  • Consistent bedtime and wake time (even on weekends)
  • Screen-free wind-down for at least an hour before bed
  • Support your body’s natural melatonin production by dimming lights in the evening
  • Experiment with relaxation tools: magnesium glycinate, warm baths, guided sleep meditations, or gentle breathwork

Research shows, “Magnesium glycinate is a well-regarded supplement known for its potential to contribute to better sleep and alleviate overall anxiousness.It has been suggested to have a calming effect on the nervous system, potentially helping individuals fall asleep faster and experience more restorative sleep.” Faisal Tai, MD WebMD

4. Nourish Your Cells

CFS often involves mitochondrial dysfunction, which means your body’s “energy factories” aren’t producing enough ATP (cellular energy). Targeted nutrition can help support mitochondrial health and stabilize blood sugar. Nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, CoQ10, and omega-3 fatty acids play roles in energy production and inflammation control. Nourishing well can help support your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Practical steps:

  • Eat balanced meals with protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs to avoid blood sugar crashes.
  • Favor anti-inflammatory foods: leafy greens, berries, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, and seeds. Check out my post on how to support joint pain
  • Stay hydrated, and add electrolytes if you experience dizziness or low blood pressure.
  • Consider supplements (with professional guidance): magnesium, B-complex, CoQ10, omega-3s. Check with your doctor to see if these are supplements that you should consider. 

5. Support Your Nervous System

CFS often comes with autonomic nervous system dysregulation, meaning your “fight-or-flight” response may be overactive. Calming the nervous system can reduce overall symptom severity. Practices like mindfulness meditation, breathwork, and gentle restorative stretching have been shown to reduce perceived fatigue and improve quality of life in chronic illness.

Practical steps:

  • Try breath pacing: Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 6–8 seconds, repeat for 5 minutes.
  • Body scans or progressive muscle relaxation before bed
  • Incorporate prayer or meditative Scripture reading if faith is part of your life
  • Spend time outdoors in natural light for circadian and mood support

6. Address Mental and Emotional Health

CFS can be isolating and discouraging. It’s common to experience depression or anxiety alongside physical symptoms. Addressing your mental and emotional health is not only important. It’s essential to whole-body healing. Chronic illness and depression share inflammatory pathways, so mental health care can improve physical outcomes, too.

Practical steps:

  • Connect with a therapist familiar with chronic illness or somatic therapy. Here is a link to the Christian Counselor Directory.
  • Join a supportive community (online or in-person) where you can share experiences without judgment.
  • Keep a compassionate journal. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, write down one thing each day you are proud of.

“Writing about traumatic events was associated with fewer visits to the health center and improvements in physical and mental health.” Pennebaker & Beall (1986) SpringerLink

7. Work with Your Healthcare Team

Because CFS is multi-systemic, you may benefit from a team approach:

  • Primary care provider for ongoing monitoring
  • Nutritionist or holistic health practitioner for diet and supplement guidance
  • Physical therapist for movement strategies
  • Mental health professional for coping skills and emotional resilience

If possible, find practitioners who are trauma-informed and familiar with CFS, as pushing the wrong interventions can lead to setbacks. I’ve walked alongside countless women who thought feeling depleted was just their “new normal.” Through a holistic, faith-fueled approach, they’ve restored energy, regained confidence, and truly reclaimed their temples.

What do I do if I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or feel think I do?

With years of experience, respected credentials, and testimonies from women who now feel stronger in body, mind, and spirit, I’d be honored to be part of your wellness support team. If you are living with CFS, know this: you are not defined by your productivity. God is with you in the slowness, in the pauses, and in the moments you feel weak. He is restoring you in ways you may not see yet, but His strength is made perfect in your weakness. Your healing journey may be slow, and that’s okay. By pacing yourself, nourishing your body, supporting your nervous system, and prioritizing restorative rest, you can create a life that’s both gentler and more fulfilling.

For some, it’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (diagnosed by a healthcare professional). For others, it’s a mix of hormonal imbalance, stress, and years of pushing through without true rest. Whatever the cause, the result is the same. Your body feels depleted, your energy is gone, and even daily tasks feel overwhelming.

You don’t have to stay in that place. Together, we can create a personalized, faith-centered plan that addresses your nutrition, movement, nervous system health, and spiritual rhythms so you can rebuild energy in a way that honors both your body and your season of life.

Schedule your free Comeback consult today and discover how personalized support can help you step into the vibrant life God designed for you. You are not broken. You can learn a new rhythm and reclaim your temple.

Do you know someone who has unexplained Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Reference List (APA 7th Edition)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, January 5). Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/index.html

Miserandino, C. (2003). The spoon theory. But You Don’t Look Sick. https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2015). Beyond myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: Redefining an illness. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/19012

Tai, F. (n.d.). Magnesium glycinate for sleep: Benefits, dosage, and side effects. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/magnesium-glycinate-sleep

Pennebaker, J. W., & Beall, S. K. (1986). Confronting a traumatic event: Toward an understanding of inhibition and disease. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95(3), 274–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.95.3.274

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Your Christian Embodiment book is here!

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Updated: July 30, 2025

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I didn’t write The Embodied Beloved to add another title to a bookshelf. Honestly, I wasn’t even planning to publish a book this year. I’ve been writing for years, processing, praying, wrestling. Then one day, I felt the Spirit stir. It was time to finish. What I created isn’t a lofty manifesto. It’s not another complicated book about neuroscience or trauma written to show off my expertise. I’ve read those. Some are overwhelming. Others are triggering. Many don’t speak to the real-life experiences I see in the women I serve.

After years of learning, it was time to teach. I wrote this book to hold space for the woman who’s been asking, “Is there more to wellness than food plans and workouts?”
The answer is yes.

You’re not just a spirit in a body. You are an embodied soul, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), knit together with intention, purpose, and glory. But somewhere along the way, many of us, especially as Christian women, learned to live fragmented. We praise God with our mouths while ignoring the pain pulsing through our bodies. We serve others while silently starving for rest, restoration, and truth.

The Embodied Beloved isn’t here to give you more rules. It’s an invitation to return to the sacred connection between your body, your breath, and your belonging in Christ. It’s approachable, practical, and applicable.

One reader said,

“Got your book last night! 

Read first two chapters this morning.  

Easy to read. 

Straight forward. 

Clear. 

Solid. 

Grace trains us. 

Not perfection. Proximity! 

My worth was never in the hustle.  

So good. And I’m I my two chapters in. 

Thanks for writing this book!”

The Disconnect: When Your Body Becomes a Battleground

For years, I treated my body like a problem to solve instead of a temple to steward. Maybe you can relate. My identity was tangled in scale numbers, size tags, and cycles of shame. I would pray for self-control while punishing my body with restriction. I called it “discipline.” But it was a disconnection.

How Christian Embodiment Heals Trauma: A Faith-Based Approach

This isn’t just personal. It’s theological.

In the Garden, the serpent’s lie was simple: “God is withholding good from you” (see Genesis 3). The first act of disobedience involved the body and food. That wasn’t random. The enemy still attacks our sense of safety in our bodies and our trust in God’s provision.

When you carry emotional pain in your body. Tight shoulders, anxious gut, a heavy chest; you’re not just being “dramatic” or “sensitive.” You’re living out the truth of

Proverbs 17:22: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

God’s Design Is Embodied

God didn’t make us floating heads or purely spiritual beings. Jesus came in the flesh (John 1:14). He wept. He sweat. He ate. He touched. He moved. Every part of His embodied life was holy. And because of Him, so is yours.

Paul reminds us,

 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

What Science Is Catching Up to Scripture

Modern research is beginning to affirm what Scripture has long revealed: our emotions don’t just “live in the mind” they live in the body.

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk in The Body Keeps the Score and Dr. Caroline Leaf’s work on neuroplasticity confirm what Romans 12:2 already told us: we are transformed by the renewing of our minds through repeated, embodied action.

You cannot separate your beliefs from your behaviors, or your healing from your body. What you believe is how you function. Your thoughts inform your actions, and your nervous system follows suit. That’s why The Embodied Beloved doesn’t just offer inspiration. It invites transformation.

This isn’t a book filled with language you need a neuroscience degree to decode or chapters that name every lobe of the brain but forget the real-life struggles of everyday women. I didn’t want another book that talked about healing without helping you experience it.

Instead, I created something simple, holy, and applicable.
Every chapter includes Scripture meditations, breath prayers, somatic movement practices, and reflective prompts. It’s not meant to be rushed. It’s meant to be lived. To pause. To process. To reconnect.

My entire life, I’ve had to create what I didn’t see. This blog? This book? Bible and Bootcamps that have now evolved into Reclaim Your Temple. The FaithFueled Life App. They are all reflections of that same calling. To carve out what didn’t yet exist. The Embodied Beloved exists because I needed it, my clients needed it, and maybe you do too.

One reader said,

“It’s great and such a labor of love and grace that only comes with experience. To read the book is an experience and journey in itself. Grateful you did this. Thank you.”

Who This Book Is For

  • The woman who feels stuck in shame cycles about food, fitness, or her body.
  • The believer who’s done all the Bible studies but still feels emotionally blocked.
  • The Christian health coach or ministry leader who wants a deeper, more integrated approach to healing.
  • The daughter of God who’s ready to stop performing and start abiding.

What Readers Are Saying

One reader said,

“I’ve never felt so seen, so equipped, and so held.”

What You’ll Learn in The Embodied Beloved

  • How your body tells your story, and how to listen with compassion
  • The spiritual and scientific power of breathwork and nervous system regulation
  • Why food, movement, and rest are holy rhythms
  • How to release trauma through Scripture-based somatic practices
  • What it means to walk in freedom as the Beloved and live in your day to day life.

Each chapter includes:

  • “The Beloved Speaks” reflections from real stories on women that I have coached over the years.
  • Breath Prayers + Scripture Meditations to pause and anchor you in truth and regulate your nervous system
  • Reflection Prompts to process and embody each chapter
  • Stillness + Movement Practices to present your body as a living sacrifice.

This Is the Journey Home

I wrote The Embodied Beloved to disrupt the narrative that your body is a battlefield. It’s not. It’s the place God chose to dwell. It has taken me years to find freedom in movement, food, and how I see myself, and now, I want to give that same gift to you. But not from me, from the One who still sets captives free.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” — Galatians 5:1 (CSB)

This isn’t a catchy tagline. It’s my mission.
To guide women back to the freedom Christ already purchased for them, through breath, through truth, through embodiment.
I am honored to serve you on that journey.

Grab your copy of The Embodied Beloved on Amazon

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