Our bodies are speaking to us all the time. When our stomach growls, our bodies are telling us that we need food. When our eyelids grow heavy, our bodies are telling us that we need rest. And when our bodies get sore after a day of working out, our bodies are telling us that our muscles need to heal. But there are other things our bodies tell us which are not so obvious, like when our stomachs tighten and our windpipes narrow. This is the body’s way of telling us through anxiety that the heart is longing for something that it is not getting. And that longing’s ultimate fulfillment is in Christ Himself.
For instance, maybe your throat is feeling tight. I’ve often found that this happens when I feel like my voice has been silenced by others. My voice is ‘choked’ as it were from speaking the truth.
Or maybe your stomach is feeling tight. Our stomachs tighten when we are getting ready for a fight. This biological reaction is the same whether we are getting rejected by a friend or getting attacked by a bear. Our bodies are telling us: “You’re in danger.” So, if your stomach is tight, why are you feeling defensive? What is the threat that your body is recognizing, but your mind is not recognizing?
Do your shoulders feel particularly weighed down? Oftentimes this is our body’s way of telling us that we are carrying a burden that we believe is too heavy for us to carry. That’s what depression is: it’s the state of being convinced deep down that our situation is awful, it has always been awful, and it will always be awful.
So, how do we find hope in such cases? How do we get rid of these (at times) incessant bodily feelings inside us?
The answer: First, listen to your BODY. Second, turn to Christ.
This does not mean that everyone just needs to pray more and spend more time in adoration to feel less anxious. If only life were so simple as to have such a general solution to our complex hearts. Our hearts often long for specific things. And our bodies are trying to tell us about those things.
If your throat is tight, ask yourself, why do you feel silenced? What truth is your heart telling you needs to be spoken? Ask Christ to give you the peace and the courage to speak up for your needs.
If your stomach is tight, ask yourself what you were just thinking about which your body is telling you is a threat. Identify that threat and give it to Christ. Invite Him into your journey of finding a place of safety.
If your shoulders are heavy, ask what burdens you are carrying. Then… give those burdens to Christ.
This is why He said to us: “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” He knew we would have burdens. Invite Jesus in to take your burdens. He wants to take them. And in exchange for taking our burdens, He gives us rest.
Gabriel Milano has his Master’s degree in Theology in Marriage and Family at the John Paul II Institute and is a content creator and speaker for TOBET. He also writes fantasy novels for children and young adults, under the pen name G. M. Dantes.
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