That Email Didn’t Pull Your Muscle, But Here’s Why It Feels Like It Did

You didn’t lift a boulder. You didn’t wrestle a dinosaur. You just opened an email — and now your neck feels like it’s made of granite.Sound familiar?

Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood connections in the body: how stress and emotions can create real, physical muscle pain. And no, it’s not “just in your head.” It’s in your chemistry.

Stress Is Not Just a Feeling — It’s a Chemical Cocktail

When you’re stressed — from work, relationships, or trying to park your Stone-Age car in a tight space — your brain fires up the same fight-or-flight system it would if you were being chased by a sabre-toothed squirrel.

Cortisol and adrenaline flood your system. Your muscles tense up, preparing to either fight or leg it.The problem? You're not fighting. You're sitting. Probably hunched. And that tension? It just lingers.

Tension Over Time = Ouch

That muscle tightness becomes chronic. You might feel it in your neck, shoulders, jaw, or lower back. It’s not because the muscle is damaged — it’s chemically irritated, sensitive, and overworked from staying “on” all the time.

Your body’s basically trying to help — it thinks you’re in danger — but it's using the equivalent of stone tools for a job that needs finesse.

So What Can You Do?

Here’s what works better than waiting for a magical "knot" to disappear:

• Move often: Gentle movement calms the nervous system. You’re not “undoing knots”; you’re changing the chemical vibe.

• Breathe like a chilled-out cave bear: Long exhales calm the system down.

• Talk about it: Yep, emotional tension has muscle consequences. Therapists aren’t just for your mind — they help your body, too.

• See someone who gets it: Cough, that might be me.

Muscle pain isn’t always about injury. Sometimes it’s your brain throwing a tantrum via your traps.

The good news? You're not broken. You're just a little chemically caffeinated.

We can work with that.