Existential-Phenomenological Inquiry | Anxiety, the Body, and Muscle Tension
Constant muscular tension caused by anxiety; when your body doesn’t relax even while you restDoes anxiety cause you to experience tightness in your neck, shoulders, jaw, or back? Learn about muscle tension stemming from anxiety and how it is treated in existential psychotherapy.
When the body can’t come out of a state of alert
Sometimes the day hasn’t even started, yet your body seems like it has been fighting for hours. Your shoulders are drawn up, your jaw is clenched, your neck feels stiff, and the muscles in your back and lower back seem to be in constant contraction. Even when you lie on the couch or go to bed to rest, you feel as though your body is still prepared to confront something.
Maybe there’s nothing dangerous around you—maybe you’ve had a calm day; but your body still won’t relax. It’s as if an invisible threat is waiting, and you need to keep yourself ready before it happens.
In such a situation, you may say to yourself again and again: “Nothing is happening—why is my body so contracted?” But even this question can sometimes turn into another worry: “What if there’s something wrong with my body? What if this pain is a sign of a serious illness?”
Anxiety doesn’t always show up only as distressing thoughts. Sometimes, before we can even put our worries into words, our body expresses them as muscle tightness, pressure in the chest, teeth grinding, headaches, or a sense of restlessness.
Muscle tension alone doesn’t necessarily mean having an anxiety disorder; however, prolonged anxiety and stress can, in some people, lead to increased muscle contraction and difficulty reaching a state of calm.
Phenomenology of muscle tension: How does the body “live” anxiety?
Phenomenology of muscle tension: How does the body “live” anxiety?
From a phenomenological perspective, the body is not merely a collection of muscles, bones, and organs that we can separate from our psychological experience. The body is the way we are present in the world, connect with others, sense danger, and wait for the future.
When we’re anxious, the world may not seem like a safe, trustworthy place. A phone call, an unanswered message, the possibility of failure at work, or even something that hasn’t happened yet can create a feeling of threat. In this state, the body sometimes prepares itself to cope even before any real danger becomes clearly identifiable.
Constricted shoulders may be part of someone’s experience who feels they must always take responsibility for everything. A clenched jaw may come with experiences of suppressed anger, efforts to control oneself, or tolerating a difficult situation. Tightness in the back muscles may also be accompanied by a life filled with constant pressures.
However, these connections are not the same for everyone, and you cannot determine a specific psychological conflict with certainty based solely on where the muscles are tight. The meaning of each person’s bodily tension must be understood in the context of their experiences, life conditions, and their own physical state.
The phenomenological question isn’t “Which thought caused this muscle to contract?” Rather, it is: “What kind of world am I living in, where my body rarely feels it can be at ease?”
This question moves us from merely fighting the symptoms toward understanding an experience that runs within the core of everyday life.
Why can anxiety lead to constant muscle tightness?
When the brain and body evaluate a situation as threatening, the stress response can increase muscle activity. This reaction is useful for facing danger in the short term, but if worry and a state of alert continue, it may lead to pain, fatigue, and a persistent sense of tightness.
This cycle can continue in the following way:
1. Worrying about the future
“What if something bad happens?”
2. Physical alertness
Increased muscle contraction, jaw stiffness, and raised shoulders
3. Ongoing attention to the body
“Why am I still not calm?”
4. Increased worry and the continuation of tension
A greater sense of danger and difficulty settling down
This cycle is not identical for everyone, but it can explain why sometimes, even after a problem is resolved, the body remains contracted.
1. Fear of a future that hasn’t arrived yet
Some people continuously examine the possible consequences of events. Before even a simple conversation, they create several scenarios; before making a decision, they review potential failures, and even in moments of calm they wait for something unpleasant to happen.
In this situation, the body may get used to “living” in the future—a future that hasn’t happened yet, but whose pressure is already felt.
2. The need to control everything
Sometimes a person believes that if they stay vigilant, anticipate all dangers, and make no mistakes, they can prevent suffering and harm.
But life is never fully controllable. Trying to eliminate all unwanted possibilities can keep a person in a state of constant vigilance—where even resting comes with guilt or fear.
3. Difficulty expressing emotions
Sometimes people cannot express their anger, fear, sadness, or opposition in difficult situations. They may fear rejection, worry about upsetting others, or feel they must always remain strong and in control.
In such circumstances, examining the connection between emotional experiences and physical tension can be helpful. Of course, it isn’t possible to assume that every muscle tightness is caused by suppressed emotions; physical factors, posture, lack of movement, poor sleep, and certain illnesses can also play a role.
4. Fear of the feeling of anxiety itself
Sometimes the problem isn’t only anxiety; fear of anxiety is also added to it.
A person becomes concerned about the tightness in their muscles, constantly checks their body, and tries to return to normal as quickly as possible. If they can’t calm down, they interpret this state as a sign that a serious problem exists.
As a result, calm turns into a task the person feels they must accomplish at any cost; and this very effort to control an inner experience immediately can create even more psychological pressure.
Muscle tension from an existential perspective: Does your body always have to be ready for danger?
Existential psychotherapy focuses on the human experience of dealing with issues such as uncertainty, freedom and responsibility, loneliness, loss, and the limitations of life. This approach can help us examine what anxiety means within a person’s lived life.
For example, someone who has lived in an unpredictable environment may have learned that constant vigilance is a way to protect their sense of security. Another person might feel that if they let go of control for even a moment, everything will fall apart. Still another person may be so preoccupied with other people’s approval that even during rest they can’t stop evaluating and judging possible reactions.
In such experiences, the body cannot simply be seen as an enemy that must be shut off. It can be considered part of the human experience that we need to listen to more carefully—without reducing every physical symptom to a psychological meaning.
An important question in this approach is:
“If I didn’t have to be ready to fight danger in every moment of life, what would change in the way I live?”
Maybe the answer helps the person realize that they’re not only looking to relax their muscles; rather, they want to experience a way of living in which they don’t always have to stay vigilant, prepared, worried, and anticipating.
Treatment method for anxiety and constant muscle tension in existential psychotherapy
The goal of existential psychotherapy is not just to eliminate muscle tightness. The aim is to understand the experience of anxiety, examine how the person relates to the limitations and uncertainties of life, and help them find a freer and more flexible way of living.
This process can be carried out alongside direct methods for managing physical tension and other interventions appropriate to the person’s needs.
1. Recognizing tension in everyday life
In psychotherapy sessions, instead of only asking “How much anxiety do you have?”, we can explore when muscle tension begins and in which situations it intensifies.
For example:
When responding to others, do you tense your shoulders and jaw?
Even during rest, do you feel you have to be doing something?
Before something happens, do you repeatedly review its possible consequences?
When you can’t control the situation, does your body’s tension increase?
Do you feel safer around others, or do you feel you have to watch your behavior and manage their judgments?
These questions help the therapist and client better recognize possible connections between anxiety, life situations, and physical reactions.
2. Examining the person’s relationship with uncertainty
One of the important axes in treating anxiety is examining how well the person can tolerate not knowing and living with uncertainty.
To feel calm, the person may want to know all answers in advance, predict all outcomes, and be sure that nothing unpleasant will happen.
An existential therapist can help the client examine the difference between realistic responsibility and attempts to fully control life.
The goal isn’t to make the person indifferent to dangers; rather, it’s to learn to distinguish between necessary actions and recurring worries that do not create greater control.
3. Paying attention to the body without fighting it
Someone who has lived for a long time with muscle tightness may be tired of their body—or even angry at it. Perhaps every time their shoulders tighten, they tell themselves: “It’s started again; why can’t I be calm?”
In psychotherapy, their experience can be examined with curiosity and without blame. Alongside this process, simple exercises for paying attention to the body may be useful:
Notice what position your jaw, shoulders, and hands are in.
If you feel comfortable, let your jaw loosen a little and let your shoulders lower naturally.
Without trying to immediately eliminate anxiety, take a few moments to notice the contact of your feet with the ground and your body’s support.
Check whether you can stay in your current position for a few moments without forcing yourself to calm down.
These exercises are not meant to replace medical evaluation or specialized treatment. If paying attention to your body makes your anxiety worse, you can stop the exercise and discuss a more suitable approach with your therapist.
4. Reassessing responsibilities and personal boundaries
Sometimes constant tension comes with the feeling that the person must watch over everything and everyone. In this state, psychotherapy can help examine real responsibilities, others’ expectations, and the limits of human capacity.
For example, the client may come to the conclusion that they cannot control everyone’s reactions, always prevent mistakes, or carry all of the family’s problems on their shoulders.
Accepting these limitations doesn’t mean surrender; it can be a way to direct energy toward areas where choice and influence are truly possible.
5. Learning to stay in the present moment
An anxious person may be physically in their room, but their mind may be caught in a dialogue about what will happen tomorrow—or the error they might make next week.
Therapy can help them better distinguish between danger that exists in the present and the danger their mind imagines about the future.
Questions such as “What is actually happening right now?”, “What can I truly do in this moment?”, and “Do I need to solve this problem right now?” may help bring attention back to the current situation.
6. Combining psychotherapy with direct tension-reduction methods
Existential psychotherapy is not the only way to help with anxiety and muscle tightness. Depending on the person’s circumstances, other methods can also be helpful:
Progressive muscle relaxation: Learning to distinguish the difference between muscle contraction and release.
Calm breathing without forcing: Helping reduce physical arousal in some people.
Appropriate physical activity and movement breaks—especially in cases of prolonged sitting.
Improving sleep and managing everyday pressures: To support physical and psychological recovery.
Evidence-based psychological treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): If suitable to the type of anxiety and the client’s needs.
Choosing a treatment approach should be based on the person’s situation. Also, persistent muscle tightness is not always caused by anxiety. If tension and pain are persistent, severe, or increasing, or if they come with muscle weakness, numbness, or other concerning symptoms, a medical evaluation is important. Chest pain accompanied by shortness of breath, cold sweats, or a feeling of fainting requires immediate medical attention.
An exercise for the reader: What is my body preparing to defend?
For a few minutes, sit in a relatively calm place and pay attention to your body’s posture. You don’t need to change anything or strive for instant calm. Just get close to your current experience and explore these questions:
Which part of my body is most contracted?
Right before this tension began, what was I thinking about or how was I feeling?
In my life, is there a situation where I feel I must always be vigilant?
If I didn’t need to control everything for a short while, what feelings might I experience?
In the current situation, what truly helps me feel safer and more at ease?
You don’t have to have the answers immediately. The goal of this exercise isn’t to find a single definite cause for muscle tension; it’s to increase your awareness of the possible relationship between your body, emotions, and life conditions.
Sometimes the first step toward change isn’t telling your body to relax; it’s understanding why calm has become difficult for you.
Frequently asked questions about anxiety and muscle tension
Can anxiety cause permanent muscle tightness?
Yes. Long-term anxiety and stress can, in some people, lead to increased muscle contraction, neck and shoulder pain, clenching the jaw, and headaches. However, persistent tension may have other physical reasons as well, and if it continues, a medical evaluation is recommended.
Why are my muscles still tight even after I rest?
Physical rest doesn’t always mean that arousal from stress has ended. Ongoing worry, mental alertness, poor posture, and movement habits can all contribute to the persistence of tension. Sometimes the cause is also related to a physical problem.
Are neck and shoulder tightness signs of generalized anxiety?
No, by itself it doesn’t specify such a diagnosis. Generalized anxiety is usually accompanied by excessive worry and difficulty controlling it across multiple areas of life, and there may also be symptoms such as muscle tension, restlessness, sleep disturbances, and difficulty concentrating. Diagnosis requires assessing the full set of symptoms and the person’s circumstances.
How does existential psychotherapy help reduce muscle tension?
This approach helps the person examine their experience of anxiety in relation to uncertainty, responsibilities, relationships, and life conditions. As awareness increases about patterns of worry and ways of relating to life, the intensity of anxiety—and consequently the tension associated with it—may decrease. Direct reduction of muscle tension may also require physical exercises or complementary therapies.
When should I see a psychotherapist for anxiety and muscle tightness?
If worry and muscle tension continue repeatedly, disrupt your sleep, make it difficult to focus, or affect your relationships and daily activities, seeing a psychotherapist can be helpful. If you have persistent pain or other concerning physical symptoms, a medical evaluation is also important.
Final words: Maybe you don’t need to always be ready to fight
Maybe for years you’ve lived in a body that rarely relaxes; a body that gets ready before events happen, stays vigilant even during moments of rest, and doesn’t easily allow you to experience a sense of security—even when there is no danger.
But you shouldn’t spend your entire life in a state of alert. Little by little, you can change your relationship with anxiety, uncertainty, and the need for control—and find ways to experience more calm.
Psychotherapy can be an opportunity to understand what’s going on in your life, recognize patterns of anxiety, and find a different way of facing life’s difficulties.
I’m Mohammad Jafar Torkān, a psychologist and existential psychotherapist, and I’m here with you to improve your anxieties and the suffering of your existence and your world.
If muscle tension and anxiety have affected your calm and quality of life, you can call or message to begin psychotherapy sessions.
Phone and message: 09338729993