My eyelid has been twitching on and off for the past two weeks. And my jaw has been feeling tight and clenched most days. Based on past experience, this is my body’s way of saying I’m stressed.

And I can’t figure out why. I don’t feel like I’m more stressed than usual. I don’t think I’m spending more time at screens. I’ve actually been getting away from my desk more recently (I think).

I have been heads down working on a new talk about rest and busyness (yes, even I see the irony here). And honestly, until this past week, I’ve been stressing over it because I couldn’t figure out what it wanted to be. So, maybe that was it?

But, I decided to get a wee bit more curious about it and realized there’s more stressing me out than I was letting myself see:

• Working through PT for an injury that’s getting better, but sooooo slowly and there are days when I feel like I’ll never be back to normal.
• A few things in my business I’ve been sitting on for a while…not taking action on them but still on my mind.
• Everything happening in the world right now is definitely weighing on me.
• And, yes, my screen time has gone up once I looked at all my devices…that definitely isn’t helping my eyes 😬

ur bodies often know we are stressed before oweare ready to admit it. I

know that from personal experience… and you probably do too. Bck when I was going through burnout, my body was throwing signals for a long time before I was willing to see them. I either ignored them or justkept pushing through….saying “It’s not a big deal.”
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Now I get curious instead. Because I know something’s happening here. My body is trying to tell me something. So instead of overriding it, I’m sitting with it and asking what needs to shift, in my environment or in how I’m working, to actually take care of my body, brain and spirit.

And no…I don’t have it all figured out yet. I’m just paying attention while making small tweaks like less screen time and more small breaks during my workday. For example, my iPad used to have a later bedtime because I would use it to sketch coloring book pages in the evening but that’s going to go to bed with my phone at dinner time now.

Your Invitations This Week

1. Try a daily body scan. Take a few moments each day — breakfast, lunch, right after you close your laptop — and just check in. Where do you feel tension? Jaw? Eyes? Shoulders? Feet? Somewhere else entirely? Try to do it at the same time each day and notice what changes, what stays, what you’ve been carrying without realizing it.
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2. Get curious about a signal. Pick one thing your body’s been doing that you’ve been brushing past - either from your body scan or something you’ve noticed. You don’t have to fix it immediately. Just ask: what might you be trying to tell me? See what comes up.
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3. Take a break. Our bodies tell us when we need a break and yet we often ignore it. So, this week, when you feel the urge to push through something your body is signaling (pain, discomfort, tension), pause and take a break. Even if that break is one deep breath.

And if you are feeling adventurous, share with me where you tend to notice stress in your body first…I’m always curious about other humans. Mine is definitely jaw and shoulders but would love to know what it is for others. Hit reply and tell me!

Sending love and stress-free vibes, Chris

PS: I’m playing with an idea for this summer and want your input (plus give you a sneak peek!). I’m thinking of running a 6-week “book club that isn’t really a book club” — and before you back away slowly, you don’t have to read the book. That’s a bonus, not a requirement.

Here’s how it works: each week we gather around a topic drawn from the book, talk about it, and experiment with one small shift. I’ll send reflection questions and chapter summaries so you’re never walking in cold. It’s part conversation, part accountability, part experiment.

The book? Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Wellbeing by Manoush Zomorodi. It’s about what our device-filled (this includes work screens!) and always-seated lives are actually doing to our bodies and the small shifts that can help us. It was released last week and I already started reading it 😬

More details coming soon but if you’re already thinking yes or even maybe, hit reply and let me know. I’m curious how much interest is out there before I finalize anything.