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Poll Do You Automatically Clench/Tense Up?

Do You Automatically Clench/Tense Up?

  • Yes, much as you describe

    Votes: 187 71.9%
  • No, not really

    Votes: 4 1.5%
  • Yes, but only during certain situations

    Votes: 66 25.4%
  • Other - will explain in post

    Votes: 3 1.2%

  • Total voters
    260
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Dylan

MyPTSD Pro
I am wondering if anyone else has a sort of....tension placer behavior.

Whenever I do a body-scan (an exercise to be more mindful and get back "in my body"), I find that I'll have 1-to-many muscles completely tensed.

For example, while driving to work I may do a body-scan and discover that my whole right leg is completely tensed and rigid, along with both forearms.

When I wake up in the middle of the night and am trying to get back to sleep I'll scan and realize that both my legs, back and arms are tensed/rigid.

When I scan while at work, my left shoulder is usually tensed up and forward - sort of hunched; my left shoulder is the one closest to the door of my office.

This appears to be my normalized body experience/posture.

Does anyone else experience this or is it just me?

Thanks,
Dylan
 
Yeah, I'm often quite clenched. My chest, shoulders, core muscles, they're bound up much of the time. Doing a body scan and deep breathing helps me, simply noticing it helps me release some of the tension. It's an anxiety thing, I think--a fear reaction.
 
My shoulders are always really tensed. Always. People always tell me to put my shoulders down, and i do not realise it at all.

I think it's like, a level of stress. Like when your body has stress, your heart rate increases, meaning you'll be more tense ready for 'fight or flight'. If a person has a level of stress over a long period of time, this stress can become constant, which is a reason to why it can increase the risk of heart attack etc.

I guess that you find out you have those tensions, that's good. I never even notice.
 
I have recently become aware that I hold my neck up when I sleep, making my neck hurt of course. I have to consciously not do this, but I think I still do when I fall asleep. Good poll!
 
My muscles are almost always tensed. Especially my neck and shoulders. I often have to remind myself to loosen them up. And my jaws are clenched all through the night.

I use Progressive Muscle Relaxation every night before I go to sleep and it helps. If I miss a night I definitely feel it in the morning.
 
I get this mostly throughout my back region..... Anytime I try to relax, or I am watching TV/reading, I notice that my back is arched up, and tight. I lower my back down, calm myself and the process starts all over again......Drives me nuts at times....
 
Yes... I just did a body scan and my right side, both shoulders, right arm, right leg was tense! My therapist was always pointing it out. I'd start off a little tense and as the session went on I'd often completely tense up all over...
 
Hey dylan,

I have a lot of neck and shoulder tension. So much so sometimes that a massage does nothing but cause a lot of pain. I clinch my jaw when I'm stressed or uncomfortable. I get a large amount of tension headaches. I even find myself holding my breath when I'm not sure whats going on around me. I'm always on the look out for something terrible to happen. It hardly ever does these days, but I have to be on the ball, right?

suzie q
 
Yes, that's "norm" for me. When I try to "relax", it feels weird with shoulders down, and back straight. My tension areas are back, shoulders, neck. Lately, I've noticed my calves clenching as well.
 
I clench my jaw constantly over the past few years and it is getting worse as time goes on. I'm wearing down my teeth and knocking out fillings and have to wear a mouth guard to sleep in.

My body is always tense. I have fibromyalgia.
 
I find my jaw is always tight and I know I clench my teeth at night because my jaw/teeth are usually sore when i wake up. I find my diaphragm is often tense and this results in episodes of breath holding when I am anxious. Shoulders, neck, thighs, calves - I can usually find something. I suffered alot of musculo-skeletal injuries during the course of my career, so body awareness is not really new to me, except that now I'm not working, so the only explanation is hidden anxiety.
 
My entire body 'freezed' up years ago. I was like paralyzed practically..........

Awful. We hold pain in our bodies.......
 
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