01/31/2026
💘How is your Grief Showing up?
Grief doesn’t just live in the heart or mind — it moves through the body. 💔
Here’s how grief commonly shows up physically, even when we don’t realize that’s what’s happening.
🧠 Nervous System
• Chronic fatigue or heaviness
• Brain fog, forgetfulness, difficulty focusing
• Feeling numb, dissociated, or “on edge”
• Sleep disruption (insomnia or sleeping too much)
💓 Heart & Chest
• Tightness or pressure in the chest
• Shortness of breath, sighing, shallow breathing
• Heart palpitations
• Ache in the heart space (often described as a literal pain)
🫁 Breath & Throat
• Lump in the throat
• Difficulty swallowing or expressing emotions
• Holding the breath unconsciously
• Frequent throat clearing
🧍🏽♀️ Muscles & Fascia
• Shoulder, neck, and jaw tension
• Upper back pain (protective hunching)
• General body stiffness or heaviness
• Clenching teeth or fists
🍽 Digestive System
• Loss of appetite or emotional eating
• Nausea, bloating, stomach pain
• IBS-like symptoms
• Gut sensitivity (the gut is deeply tied to emotion)
🦵 Immune & Hormonal Response
• Getting sick more often
• Inflammation or flare-ups of chronic conditions
• Hormonal imbalance (especially during prolonged grief)
• Changes in menstrual cycles
🦶 Energy & Grounding
• Feeling unsteady or disconnected from the body
• Cold hands and feet
• Low motivation or inability to “move forward”
• Exhaustion that rest doesn’t fix