Healing Stress & Anxiety

Hi my friend,

There are moments when life keeps moving but your body quietly begs you to slow down. You are doing all the right things on the outside, showing up, holding it together, being responsible, being strong, being reliable, yet inside there is a constant hum of tension that never fully turns off. It feels like your chest is tight for no clear reason. Your jaw stays clenched even when you are resting. Your mind replays conversations, worries, and what ifs long after the day is over. You tell yourself you are fine, but your body is telling a different story.

Stress and anxiety rarely show up all at once. They arrive slowly, subtly, disguising themselves as fatigue, irritability, brain fog, or emotional numbness. They show up when rest does not feel restorative anymore. When your nervous system feels wired even when nothing is technically wrong. When you feel overwhelmed by things that never used to overwhelm you. When your patience is thinner, your tolerance lower, and your ability to feel present feels just out of reach. This is not weakness. This is not failure. This is your body asking for care in a world that keeps demanding more.

Holding it together while life keeps breaking open

I want to share something personal with you. I spend my days holding space for others. I sit with people navigating divorces, heartbreak, trauma, grief, identity shifts, parenting stress, and seasons where their lives are being completely rewritten. I walk alongside friends who are separating, rebuilding, grieving the life they thought they would have. I support clients who are barely keeping their heads above water while still showing up for everyone around them. And I do this while moving through my own life transitions, responsibilities, and emotional waves.

There have been seasons where I was the strong one for everyone else while quietly carrying my own weight. Seasons where I listened deeply to others while my own nervous system was asking for rest. Seasons where I showed up grounded and steady for my community while processing my own fears, sadness, and uncertainty behind the scenes. Not because I wanted to ignore myself, but because that is what strong, capable, heart led people do. We adapt. We manage. We keep going.

And here is the truth that took me time to fully accept. Even the helpers need space to unravel. Especially the helpers.

The invisible weight strong people carry

If you are part of this community, this is probably you.

You are the one people come to when things fall apart.
You are the steady one in chaos.
You keep the family running, the business moving, the team supported.
You remember birthdays, deadlines, appointments, and emotional details.
You think ten steps ahead so others do not have to.
You stay calm in emergencies.
You downplay your own stress because others have it worse.
You push through exhaustion because slowing down feels irresponsible.
You hold your emotions until there is finally quiet.
You tell yourself you will rest later.
You carry the emotional temperature of the room without realizing it.
You absorb tension so others feel safe.

You wake up and immediately start thinking about what needs to be done.
You move through your day checking on others before checking in with yourself.
You handle logistics, conversations, decisions, and emotions on repeat.
You fall into bed tired but wired, your mind still running.

This is not because you are doing life wrong. It is because you are deeply capable, deeply caring, and deeply committed. But even the strongest nervous systems have limits.

Why anxiety lives in the body, not just the mind

What most people do not realize is that anxiety does not live only in your thoughts. It lives in your breath. In your muscles. In your posture. In the way your body stays braced for impact even when you are safe. You may notice shallow breathing, racing thoughts, restlessness, or a constant feeling of being on edge. You may feel disconnected from your body or overly sensitive to everything around you. Loud sounds feel louder. Small tasks feel heavier. Your nervous system is doing its best to protect you, but it is tired.

As a therapist, I see this every day. People who look completely functional slowly unravel once their bodies finally feel safe enough to soften. As a breathwork facilitator, I witness what happens when the body is given permission to release what it has been holding. The tears that surprise people. The shaking that moves through the muscles. The deep exhale that has been waiting for years. And as a human, I have lived this too. The moments where my body said enough long before my mind wanted to listen.

Stress and anxiety build when the nervous system never gets to complete its stress cycles. When there is no space to discharge what has been held. When you move from one responsibility to the next without integration. Over time, the body stores this unprocessed energy. It shows up as burnout, emotional reactivity, sleep issues, chronic tension, and a sense of disconnection from yourself.

You do not need to wait until you break

A nervous system reset is not about fixing you. You are not broken. It is about giving your body what it has been asking for, safety, space, and regulation. When the nervous system softens, everything shifts. Your breath deepens. Your thoughts slow. Your body feels heavier in the best way. You stop bracing. You stop scanning for danger that is not happening. You remember what it feels like to exist without tension running the show.

This is why I created our upcoming healing experience. Not as another thing to add to your list, but as a place to exhale. A space where you do not have to be strong, capable, or in control. A space where you do not have to hold anyone else. A space where your nervous system can finally land.

Through 9D Breathwork, sound, and somatic regulation, we guide your body out of survival mode and back into safety. This is not forcing release. This is gentle, supported, and deeply regulating.

If you have been feeling overwhelmed, anxious, emotionally exhausted, or quietly holding everything together, this is your invitation. If your body has been whispering for rest, grounding, and relief, listen.

Join us on December 17th from 6:00 to 10:00 pm at Gallery DeFi for an immersive evening focused on releasing stress and anxiety, calming your nervous system, and reconnecting with yourself. Surrounded by art, sound, and a community that understands, this night is designed to help you leave feeling calmer, clearer, and more regulated than you have felt in a long time.

You do not have to carry it all alone. And you do not have to wait until your body forces you to stop. Your nervous system deserves care too..

With love,
Dr. Rachel Sims & Mama Lisa
Breath by Design | Uncomplicated Therapy