Anxiety Isn’t Just In Your Head: How the nervous system holds stress

Anxiety is often mistaken as something that exists only in the mind, but in reality, it lives in the body too. The nervous system holds onto those stress patterns—because, as The Body Keeps the Score teaches us, unprocessed experiences are stored, not forgotten.

When we go through prolonged stress, overwhelm, or emotional strain, our body often holds onto the experience—especially if we don’t have the time, tools, or support to process it. This can lead to chronic tension, fatigue, digestive issues, and that wired-but-tired feeling that’s so common today.

For many, this stress lodges in the gut and contributes to conditions like IBS, which often has emotional and nervous system roots that go beyond diet alone. Anxiety and IBS often go hand-in-hand, as both can stem from an overwhelmed nervous system and unresolved emotional stress. When anxiety is stored in the gut, it can trigger or worsen IBS symptoms, creating a cycle that’s difficult to break without addressing the emotional root cause.

Your body is designed to heal when it feels supported. As a chiropractor and kinesiologist, I work with the nervous system to uncover where stress is being held and help the body let go safely. Using gentle techniques like NET, we can identify emotional stress patterns contributing to anxiety and support your body in returning to balance, calm, and resilience.