Why Mental Health Starts in the Body: The Energy Behind Emotion
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in anxiety, spiraling thoughts, or emotional overwhelm, you’ve probably heard advice like: Just change your mindset. Reframe the thought. Think positive.
And while mindset work has its place, here’s something I know to be true — both personally and professionally:
✨ You can’t think your way out of a body that doesn’t feel safe.
✨ You can’t override stuck energy with affirmations alone.
That’s the message at the heart of my latest article, published by Elephant Journal.
It’s called “Mental Health Isn’t Just Mental—It Starts in the Body”, and in it, I explore why real mental and emotional healing begins with nervous system regulation and energy work.
You can read the full piece here, but I want to dive a little deeper into the why behind it — especially the energetic side most people don’t talk about.
Emotions are Energy — and They Live in the Body
We often think of emotions as something we “feel” or “think,” but at their core, emotions are energy in motion. When we suppress, bypass, or don’t fully process emotional experiences, that energy gets stuck in the body.
Over time, that stuck energy contributes to symptoms such as:
Chronic tension and pain
Fatigue or burnout
Overthinking and hypervigilance
Emotional reactivity or numbness
From an energetic standpoint, your body is trying to signal that something is unresolved or unprocessed. From a nervous system standpoint, your body is trying to keep you safe.
This is why mindset tools often stop working— not because you’re doing it wrong, but because your body is still in a stress response.
Nervous System Work is Energy Work
When we regulate the nervous system through grounding, breathwork, movement, or simply creating safety in the body, we’re not just calming down. We’re literally clearing and rebalancing the energy that fuels our emotional state.
That’s why in my sessions, I combine:
Breathwork to release stored emotion and move stagnant energy
EFT tapping to calm the nervous system and rewire emotional patterns
Reiki to open energy channels and restore flow
Somatic tools to help you reconnect with the wisdom of your body
Together, these modalities help my clients feel more emotionally resilient, mentally clear, and physically grounded— without needing to hustle for healing or fix themselves.
What If Your Anxiety Isn’t a Problem to Solve?
I used to spiral when I couldn’t break old patterns, especially ones I thought I had already healed like people-pleasing or overcommitting. When I realized that the root wasn’t mindset issue but a nervous system issue, everything changed.
Healing began when I stopped asking “What’s wrong with me?”
And started asking “What does my body need to feel safe right now?”
Start Here: A Free Energy Reset
If this speaks to you, I created a free Energy Reset Audio Journey that guides you through a short grounding practice to calm your nervous system, clear stuck energy, and return to yourself.
✨ Download the Energy Reset here
It’s a great entry point if you’ve been feeling ungrounded, anxious, or emotionally stretched thin — or if you’re simply curious what energy work can feel like in your body.
You deserve support that sees all of you — body, mind, energy, and emotion.
And you don’t have to carry it all alone.
I’d love to hear what resonates from this post or the Elephant Journal article!
Leave a comment or come say hi on Instagram @mandy.shock