Today we’re going to explore the single most powerful thing standing between you and your body’s ability to truly heal. What is it? Drumroll, please… it’s stress. Yep, that’s right. Stress is the ultimate party pooper when it comes to your body’s ability to repair, restore, and regenerate.
No matter what you’re trying to heal—whether it’s chronic pain, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, emotional wounds, and even life-threatening conditions—stress is the sneaky little gremlin getting in the way.
Yes, the way our body reacts to stress physiologically is that it literally shuts down healing.
That’s why today, on I Love Me The Podcast, we’re going to break down exactly why that happens, and more importantly, what you can do about it.
Simple, inspiring lessons in self-love. Hello wise soul, it’s Tamra here.
Alright, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
Why does stress block healing?
Well, it’s all about survival mode.
Our bodies are smart.
They’re incredibly smart.
And their number one priority is keeping us alive.
When your body perceives stress—whether it’s a real physical threat, a looming deadline, or even just chronic low-grade worry—it flips a switch.
Your nervous system goes into fight, flight, or freeze mode.
Adrenaline and cortisol flood your system.
Your heart rate rises, your breathing gets shallow, your blood pressure spikes.
And the thing to know is this:
Your body will always prioritise survival over repair.
Imagine this:
Your body is like a luxury spa with a full team of healers.
When you’re relaxed, all the masseuses, acupuncturists, nutritionists, and bodywork specialists are running around, tending to everything that needs attention—your cells regenerate, your hormones balance, inflammation settles down, and nutrients are absorbed efficiently.
But when stress hits, the spa is suddenly under attack by a horde of angry goblins (that’s cortisol and adrenaline, by the way).
The body says: “Whoa! Emergency! Forget the spa. We’re running for our lives!”
All those amazing healing processes?
They take a back seat.
Blood flow moves away from the gut and reproductive organs to your muscles.
Digestion slows.
Repair slows.
Immune function can get wonky.
Hormones go a bit haywire.
Even your brain shifts into a mode that makes it harder to process information and regulate emotions.
And here’s the thing most people don’t realise:
Stress doesn’t have to feel dramatic to be destructive.
Chronic, low-level stress—worrying about work, money, relationships, being ‘on’ all the time—is enough to keep your body stuck in this survival mode.
It’s like having your body’s ‘emergency system’ stuck on a loop.
So, no matter how clean your diet is, how many supplements you take, how many yoga classes you attend, or how many meditation apps you download, if stress is high, your body will struggle to heal.
You’re literally getting in your own way.
And I talk about this in depth in episode 40: The Physiology Of Fear, which I highly recommend having a listen to.
So now you know how your body responds to stress, let’s talk about how we can support our body in activating it’s healing superpowers.
Because the body knows how to heal itself.
It’s insanely clever!
It just needs the right environment.
And the first and most important thing is, you guessed it:
Reduce stress.
If you’re stressed, nothing else will work properly.
Cortisol interferes with nutrient absorption, immune function, and even sleep.
Think of stress like trying to water a plant with the hose off.
All the nutrients and good stuff you’re giving your body just won’t get absorbed.
So my recommendation is to get out a pen and paper and write down ALL the things that make you stressed or worried or things that just keep your mind active.
It can be a relationship you’re in, doing too much, a certain dynamic you have with someone in your life, finances… because money is a one of the biggest causes of stress these days.
And if this is true for you, have a listen to Episode 51: Don’t Hate Money, Date Money.
It’s such a good episode to help you understand how you can actually come into a healthy relationship with money, so it doesn’t cause you unnecessary stress.
But whatever your stresses are, get them down on paper.
Most of us walk around stressed not even aware of what’s causing us that stress.
But taking time to get clear on what the stresses actually are, helps you move into awareness.
Once you’re aware of what needs to shift, then you can start taking action to eliminate those stresses.
And I have so many episodes on this podcast that will support you working through various different stresses.
So step 1, is get clear on what your stresses actually are.
Then come up with some simple steps to start reducing those stresses.
We start working towards reducing our stress, that’s the most important step, then we want to make sure we’re:
Getting enough sleep.
Sleep is when your body literally repairs itself.
Cells regenerate, hormones balance, your brain detoxifies.
If we don’t get enough sleep, and at the right time of night, then healing will be impeded.
I talk about The Healing Power of a 10pm Bedtime in Episode 60.
So if you’re struggling in the sleep department, this episode will support you there.
I like to consider sleep like you putting your phone on the charger.
If you don’t give it enough time to charge, it’ll run out of puff.
And that’s exactly what happens with our body.
We need to create the space for our body to be recharged, to be put into ‘sleep mode’, so it can do that all-important healing work, it does so well.
And if you have trouble getting to sleep, or staying a sleep, have a listen to Episode 61, and try the Sleep Hacks I share there.
Next, we need to make sure we are:
Breathing well.
Oxygen is a survival-essential.
But under stress, we breathe more shallowly.
Shallow breathing = less oxygen, more tension, and a stressed nervous system.
That’s why simply bringing your attention to your breath, and practising inhaling for four, and exhaling for 6, can be such a great way to support your body in coming back into a state of ease, where your nervous system is at rest, so your body can activate its healing magic.
In Episode 49 I share a Simple Breath Practice to Balance Your Mind and Body, which is really supportive in guiding your body out of stress and into a healing state.
The fourth thing I recommend, to help support you in activating your innate healing powers, is:
Hydrate With Quality Water (and Electrolytes!)
Water is life, literally.
Our cells need it to function and repair.
In order for water to nourish and detox the body though, it needs to be filtered—free from pollutants that often make their way into our water—as these put more load, more stress, on the body.
So filtered water, or fresh Spring water is even better, as it has life in it.
I personally use a Zazen water filter, which you can find here: https://zazenalkalinewater.com.au/collections/shop-water-filters
With filtered water, you can add a pinch of Celtic sea salt and a squeeze of lemon for electrolytes. It’s simple, nourishing, and supports cellular function.
Think of it as lubricating the internal machinery of your body, so it can do its thing.
And if you want to infuse your water with the ability to heal on a whole new level, listen to Episode 93 where I share Dr Emoto’s water experiments, and how this can aid us in our own healing journey.
Next up is:
Nourishment: The Food You Take In.
Because here’s the thing…
If stressors are gone, sleep is happening, breathing is good, and you’re hydrated, your body can finally absorb nutrients properly.
But of course, we want that food, to be clean, otherwise we put more load, more stress on the body.
In order to create a healthy internal environment, we want clean water, and clean food.
Food that hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides, or uses ingredients that are man-made.
I go into detail on how to ensure your food is clean in Episode 37: Let Food Be Thy Self-Loving Medicine.
Because yes, food can be medicine, if we’re more mindful about what we put into our precious bodies.
The other way to ensure that your body is actually absorbing all that nourishment, is to eat mindfully.
In Episode 87, I offer you 10 important tips for encouraging healthy digestion, which we want, because our body takes the good stuff from what we put in it, to replenish our cells.
But again, we need to make sure that we’re eating in a calm space, or that process gets interrupted.
Digestion itself is a healing process—so do whatever you can, to relax while you eat!
Number 6 is:
Movement.
Now movement isn’t just exercise—it’s an opportunity to communicate with your body.
And this is what I teach in my Yoga for the Vagina program; how to use yoga and breath and movement to listen in to what your body is trying to tell you.
Because when we have a healthy relationship with our body, where we understand our bodies’ signals, then healing becomes a lot easier, and a lot quicker.
So go for a walk in nature, stretch, do yoga, dance.
In Episode 83 I talk about the healing benefits of a 5-Minute Dance Break.
Yes, just five-minutes of conscious movement can boost your circulation, melt tension, and help regulate your nervous system.
Number 7, is:
Laugh.
Yes, laugh every day.
I go into depth on the healing benefits of laughing in Episode 33: Could Laughter Be The Medicine You Need Right Now?
Because laughter, like movement, helps melt away tension, helps support our nervous system, and invites our whole self into a state of joy.
And joy is one of the most powerful ways to activate healing in the body.
Finally, we have:
Connect with People.
Like, in the flesh.
Human connection actually lowers inflammation.
Given inflammation is one of the main contributors to illness and disease, we want to do things like being social, so we can lower that inflammation.
So hug, laugh, talk.
Oxytocin, the ‘love hormone’, flows.
Neurotransmitters calm your nervous system.
Being around safe, supportive people signals to your body that it can drop the ‘emergency’ response.
I explain the science behind feeling good in Episode 55: The Self-Love Chemical Cocktail.
But what you need to know, is:
Healing happens faster when we’re not isolated.
So gorgeous, here’s the take-home message.
When it comes to healing, stress is THE main obstacle.
No matter what ailment, injury, or imbalance you’re hoping to heal, if your body is in ‘survival mode’, nothing else is going to work as effectively.
Supplements, treatments, therapy—they all matter, yes—but only after your nervous system is calm enough to let your body do what it already knows how to do.
Like I’ve said, your body is ridiculously smart.
It knows how to heal.
But we humans have a habit of getting in our own way—by staying stressed, by overthinking, by forcing things instead of letting nature take its course.
So the roadmap is simple, not always easy to action, but simple none-the-less.
- Reduce stress. That’s the biggie!
- Get enough sleep
- Breathe well
- Hydrate with quality water
- Nourish your body mindfully
- Move and connect with yourself
- Laugh every day
- Connect with others (and nature).
Do these consistently, and your body will start shifting into healing mode.
You might notice little improvements at first, subtle changes.
But over time, your cells, your tissues, your organs, and even your mind start to repair themselves in ways you didn’t think possible.
And if you want more support, on your healing journey, then take a look at the Remarkable Relationships course.
This intensive self-study program teaches you how to move your body out of a stress state and into a state of ease through deep inner healing work, where we look at your beliefs, your childhood conditioning, any trauma or unresolved emotion, so that you can learn how to release them, so your body is no longer in a stress-state, so your body can do what it does best, and actually heal.
So you can come into a remarkable relationship with yourself, your body and your life.
While the whole course is focused on healing all areas of your life, there is specifically a one month module that focuses on physical healing of ailments, as well.
So the program gives you all the foundational skills to become your own healer.
You can learn more about the program here: https://gettingnaked.com.au/remarkable-relationships/
What’s important to remember here, is that healing isn’t about pushing, forcing, or controlling.
It’s about creating the right environment so your body can do the work it already knows how to do.
And the single most important environment, is one that is:
Calm, safe, stress-free and supported.
So take a deep breath… exhale… and let your body know:
It’s safe to heal.
Thanks for listening, gorgeous.
I’ll chat to you in a couple of weeks, with more ways to live in your body, support your health, and make space for your miraculous self to thrive!