Where Is Stress Hiding Today?
Stress doesn’t always show up as “I’m stressed.”
It can look like:
Irritability
Restlessness
Detachment
Guilt
“I’m fine,” but your body says otherwise
That’s because stress often hides behind other emotions—or behind defences we’ve learned to survive with.
Your system might displace stress into frustration.
Or numb it through withdrawal.
Or bury it under a smile, while your chest feels tight.
This isn’t failure. It’s adaptation.
But over time, avoidance can keep us disconnected from what really needs care.
What the Science Says:
Emotional suppression increases physiological stress, elevates cortisol, and reduces emotional resilience.
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry.
Naming emotions (a process called affect labelling) calms the brain’s fear centres like the amygdala—helping us regulate more effectively.
Burklund et al. (2014). Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
💡 People who struggle to identify emotions—known as alexithymia—often experience heightened stress symptoms without clear emotional awareness, a pattern frequently linked to trauma or psychosomatic issues.
Shah et al. (2017). Emotion.
Murphy et al. (2020). Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.
Psychoanalytic Insight:
Psychoanalysis sees stress, often as a mask for deeper emotional truth.
In Freud’s theory, this is displacement: when the mind moves difficult feelings into safer or more socially acceptable expressions.
So when we feel “off,” “tight,” or “low”—we can pause and ask:
What deeper feeling might be waiting to be known?
💭 Today’s Practice:
✨ Ask yourself:
What am I feeling right now—really?
What might be hiding underneath this tension or shutdown?
Can I name it without needing to fix it?
Naming isn’t overthinking. It’s contact.
This is how we begin to lead with love—by feeling what’s real, not just what’s allowed.
get in touch
If you would like to discuss how we can help you further your development, please send us a message and we will be in touch: info@idmind.health
April is “Stress Awareness Month” – 30 day guide
Stress Awareness Month 2025: Lead With Love This April, iDMind.health invites you to pause. To reflect. To reconnect with your inner world. Stress is something we all carry – but we don’t always recognise how deeply it…
day 01: body check-in
Stress lives in your body…not just in your head. We often treat stress as ‘just mental’, but it shows up in our: Shoulders and jaw Gut and breath Sleep, skin, immune response Chronic stress reshapes how our…
day 02: breathe to regulate
Lead With Love through your breath. Your breath is the only part of your nervous system you can consciously control. And it just might be your most powerful tool for calming the mind and body. When stress…
day 03: Thought Tracker
Some thoughts aren’t random. They’re rehearsals. Your mind returns to them again and again because something unfinished, unprocessed, or unmet is asking for attention. These aren’t just mental noise—they’re emotional signals.According to psychoanalysis, recurring thoughts often represent…
day 04: Self-Talk Audit
Some thoughts aren’t random. They’re rehearsals. Lead With Love in the way you speak to yourself. Would you speak to yourself the way you speak to a friend? Who’s Talking in There?Your internal dialogue shapes your emotional…
day 05: Move Your Body (Gently, Briefly, Lovingly)
Some thoughts aren’t random. They’re rehearsals. Lead With Love through micro-movements. You Don’t Need to “Work Out Intensely” to Move Through It When we hear “move your body,” many of us think of workouts, discipline, or pressure.…
day 06: feel the stress
Where Is Stress Hiding Today?Stress doesn’t always show up as “I’m stressed.” It can look like: Irritability Restlessness Detachment Guilt “I’m fine,” but your body says otherwise That’s because stress often hides behind other emotions—or behind defences…
day 07: focus – one thing at a time
multitasking is a myth (and sometimes, a mask) Lead With Love by giving your full attention. What Are You Really Doing?We like to believe we can do it all—emails, messages, parenting, thinking, feeling—all at once. But neuroscience…
day 08: nourish the soul
Super-Food, Super-Mood What Feeds Your Mood?Food does more than fuel your body.It communicates with your brain.It regulates your nervous system.It shapes your emotional state. And the nutrients you take in today can become your emotional and psychological…
day 09: your inner critic
Lead With Love by changing how you speak to yourself. Whose Voice Is That?Most of us have an inner voice that speaks when we’re tired, behind, or not “enough.”Sometimes it sounds like us.But often, it’s an echo…
day 10: permission to rest
Lead With Love by letting yourself pause. Day 10: Rest Is Not a RewardWe live in a world that often treats rest like something you earn—After the inbox is cleared,After the work is done,After you’ve proven yourself…
day 24 – let go of the outcome
Lead With Love by releasing control and returning to the moment you’re in. What if the outcome isn’t yours to hold? You were taught to plan.To prepare.To hold it all together—just in case. But control is a…
day 25 – declutter your space
Lead With Love by noticing what shifts inside when you clear space outside. Day 25: What Does the Clutter Protect? Sometimes, clutter isn’t about mess.It’s about memory.Or avoidance.Or overstimulation.Or comfort. We keep things we don’t need. Not…
day 26: say no
Lead With Love by protecting the space your healing needs. Day 26 – Say No Theme: Lead With Love by protecting the space your healing needs. Day 26: No Is a Complete Sentence. Saying no is hard.Especially if…
day 27: family compassion
Lead With Love by honouring how your care for yourself shapes how you care for others. Family healing is complicated.It’s easy to carry one story:“They did the best they could.”Or“They hurt me.” Both can be true. Compassion…
Day 28 – Self-Care Exploration
Lead With Love by honouring how your care for yourself shapes how you care for others. How Is Your Self-Care Changing? Self-care changes as we change.It’s not just about soothing.It’s about evolving. As we heal, self-care becomes…
day 29: Who Am I?
Lead With Love by exploring identity as something living, layered, and evolving. Who Am I Becoming When I’m Not Performing? Identity isn’t just one thing.It’s not only a title.It’s not only a role.It’s not only a diagnosis…
day 30: closure and continuity: returning to ourselves
Lead With Love by remembering that healing is a homecoming, not a finish line. You Return to Yourself Again and Again Healing isn’t linear.It doesn’t finish neatly.It doesn’t mean you never wobble or fall or question again.…