Stress relief techniques can start with noticing where your body holds tension. Chiropractor Dr. Lynn Carey, after 18 years in practice, says she most often sees anxiety stored in the neck, shoulders and pelvis. In this conversation with Jeremy Van Wert, she shares simple habits such as journaling and gratitude, and explains why she links health, mindset and money.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Dr. Carey says she most often sees anxiety and fear held in the neck and shoulders, and relationship and money stress in the pelvis and lower back.
- She believes mistakes are the greatest learning lesson and that perfectionism and fear of failure hold many people back.
- Her low-pressure tools are writing out an ideal life, listing things you appreciate each day, and catching and rewriting the story you tell about yourself.
- She says high stress can become so normal that people stop noticing it, and that symptoms can be a signal to re-evaluate.
- Jeremy shares how a short daily rowing session helped him stop living in fight or flight.
- Dr. Carey suggests building a plan B alongside your current path rather than quitting everything overnight.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠWhere does the body store stress and anxiety?
Dr. Lynn Carey has been a chiropractor for 18 years. Asked where she sees people hold anxiety and fear, she points first to the neck and shoulders. She says many people carry tension there, especially with so much sitting, driving and screen time, and that tension can feel like a clenched fist.
The other area she names is the pelvis and lower back. In her view, relationships and money, the foundation of life, show up there. Jeremy suggests it resembles a child trying to control a chaotic world. Dr. Carey agrees that the instinct to control something is fight or flight, and says holding on does not really give us more control.
ᚢWhat chiropractors mean by innate intelligence
Dr. Carey explains the chiropractic idea of innate intelligence: the inner wisdom that runs the body while we are talking, with the organs doing their jobs without our help. She says she could adjust a spine to free up the nerves, but she came to believe the flow also depends on whether you are being true to yourself.
She believes society often tells us who to be, and that the quiet inner voice gets suppressed. These are Dr. Carey's views and her own experience, not medical advice. If this idea of listening inward appeals to you, Thriving Spirits, the Mindful Mutiny community, offers real conversation, live Fireside Chats and a course library.
ᚦPerfectionism and fear of failure
Dr. Carey describes herself as an honor student who still focused on a B. She says we are taught that mistakes are wrong, when in her view mistakes are the greatest learning lesson. She believes the gifts are in the failure, and that the darkest places can bring the greatest light.
She grew up as an only child and says perfectionism was her coping. She also points to social media, where we see only other people's highlights, which she says can increase anxiety. In her view, embracing both sides of yourself, mistakes included, lets you enjoy life.
ᚨStress relief techniques: journaling, gratitude and rewriting your story
When people ask her what to do, Dr. Carey suggests breaking it into baby steps. The first is to journal pen to paper and write out what an ideal life would look like, even if it does not make sense yet.
The second is a daily list of things you appreciate, such as fresh air, sunshine or a cup of coffee. She says this reorients the brain toward solutions rather than the problem. The third is catching the story you tell about yourself, which she calls a limiting belief, and asking what you want to experience instead. She adds that taking a few breaths and shifting your perspective can help the body relax.
ᚱWhen high stress becomes your normal
Dr. Carey says that in practice, some people came in with pain and insisted they were not under extra stress, then described a day that left her stressed just listening. She believes their high stress had become their normal, and that the body may eventually break down to force a re-evaluation.
In her view, symptoms can be a gift if you have the awareness to listen, a sign that your higher self is trying to get your attention. Jeremy adds that many people in good jobs feel miserable and ashamed of it. If that sounds familiar and you would like support, Jeremy offers individual therapy and coaching.
ᚲJeremy's rowing machine story
Jeremy tells of a time when his lower back kept clenching and he kept returning to a chiropractor. What helped, he says, was buying a rowing machine and using it for about 10 minutes a day with music, then walking outside to cool off.
He says the habit pulled him out of his work brain and out of constant fight or flight, and that he stopped needing adjustments. His point is that a small new routine can change the body and the mind together.
ᚷA scoliosis journey that led to chiropractic
Dr. Carey says she was diagnosed with scoliosis at 14 and was braced, then had spinal surgery with rods. She describes years of pain and illness afterward, and says she was frustrated that no one looked at why her spine was curved. Her views on her treatment come from her own experience.
At 19, someone suggested chiropractic. A pamphlet said that the power that made the body heals the body, and she says no one had told her that before. She went to chiropractic school and says the real change was shifting her mindset, not only the adjustments.
ᚹFear of changing careers and money mindset
Dr. Carey opened her practice at 23 and says she had no business education. Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad changed how she saw money, much as chiropractic had changed how she saw health. She believes the old path of school, a job and retirement is broken, and that younger generations feel it most.
Asked about fear of changing careers, she says life is too short not to take the risk. She says she does not regret closing her practice, only staying too long, and that losing her father at 12 taught her not to fear trying. Her suggestion is to create a plan B alongside your current path with small daily steps. She also calls ageism a myth and says staying interested in life keeps the life force flowing.
ᚠWhy health and financial freedom go together
Dr. Carey says she saw patients who could not afford time off, organic food or a massage, and she came to believe health and financial freedom are linked. She chose an online business as her vehicle, which she says involves personal development and little risk beyond putting yourself out there.
Jeremy adds that income from more than one source can feel more secure than a single paycheck. If this conversation has you rethinking your own direction, Jeremy offers a straight read on whether his work is a fit for you.
Dr. Carey's views on stress, the body, scoliosis treatment and chiropractic are her personal experience and are not medical advice. Please talk with a licensed healthcare professional about your own health. The episode also mentions the loss of a parent in her childhood.
ᚨ Questions people ask
Where does the body store stress and anxiety?
Dr. Carey says she most often sees anxiety and fear in the neck and shoulders, and relationship and money stress in the pelvis and lower back. She describes it as the body clenching like a fist when we try to control something.
What are simple stress relief techniques from this episode?
Dr. Carey suggests journaling about an ideal life, listing things you appreciate each day, taking a few breaths and catching the stories you tell about yourself. Jeremy adds a short daily rowing session as his own example.
Can stress show up as physical symptoms?
Dr. Carey believes so. She says high stress can become so normal that people stop noticing it, and that symptoms may be a signal to re-evaluate. This is her view from practice, not medical advice.
How do you start a career change without quitting everything?
Dr. Carey recommends building a plan B alongside your current path with small daily steps, rather than leaving everything behind. She says staying in a life that does not fit costs more than taking the risk.