12/05/2025
For most of my life, my posture was effortless.
In high school, I was a dancer and a pianist — head high, shoulders back, everything aligned and open.
In college, I spent hours at the piano every day (sometimes 7–8 hours at a time), and still… my posture stayed strong.
Fast forward 20 years.
My shoulders slump.
My head pushes forward.
I live with constant pain in my neck, shoulders, upper back, jaw, and ribs.
I wake up with headaches.
And it affects my voice. My singing sometimes feels strained or difficult.
Some nights I can’t sleep because my body hurts too much.
I’ve tried everything — heat, ice, massage, chiropractic, stretching.
And for a long time, I blamed motherhood, nursing, long days at the piano, long days at the computer.
But recently, I realized something I didn’t want to see:
My posture didn’t collapse because of my lifestyle.
It collapsed because of what I’ve been carrying.
The heartbreak.
The overwhelm.
The fear.
The years of trying to hold everything together without asking for help.
My body has been armoring itself to protect my heart.
My shoulders aren’t rounding because I’m weak —
they’re rounding because my nervous system has felt unsafe for a long time.
It isn’t a structural issue.
It’s a survival strategy.
And the heat, ice, massage, and adjustments help for a moment…
but they can’t address the real reason my body is pulling in on itself:
It’s been trying to keep me safe.
So now, I’m working on something deeper —
not just loosening muscles, but softening the armor.
Not just fixing posture, but letting my nervous system know that
my heart is safe now.
Not just pushing through pain, but finally listening to what it’s been trying to tell me.
If any part of this resonates with you…
you’re not alone.
Your body might not be “broken” —
it might be protecting you, too.
If this speaks to you, drop a ❤️ or stay tuned — I’m writing a whole series on this over the next 2 weeks.