Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up a daily dose of care designed to support you, cheer you on and remind you, always, just how wonderful you already are.

In Today’s Edition:

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Emotions don’t live only in your mind; they move through your body. When emotional needs go unmet, your body often communicates first, sometimes long before you consciously recognize what you’re feeling.

These physical sensations can be signals that your system is holding tension, saying it’s time to process stress, or asking for care. Listening to your body can help you respond earlier and more compassionately, rather than waiting until overwhelm builds.

Tuning into how my body signals me when I’m ignoring my needs has helped me get better at avoiding burnout and big mental crashes.

The first time, I was watching TV and realized I was clenching my hands in tight fists. It made me pause and say, “Huh, what’s this?” I realized I was using TV to distract from how I felt, and what I really needed was some deeper care.

We often talk in this newsletter about the different types of care you can implement. So, today, let’s look at how your body might signal you that it’s time to implement what you’ve learned. 

PSA: Ideally, you want to start using care earlier, before the tension builds, as a way to regularly recharge; however, sometimes life gets busy, and that’s where you can use signals to help tune back in.

Common physical signals and what they may be pointing to:

😬 Jaw clenching or teeth grinding: Suppressed stress, tension, or unexpressed feelings.

💪 Chronic muscle tension: Holding yourself together or staying in “brace mode.”

🌪️ Digestive issues: Ongoing (chronic) stress or emotional overwhelm affecting digestion. Note: digestive issues can be caused by other things too, like food sensitivities, illness, etc.

😮‍💨 Shallow breathing: Anxiety, vigilance, or not feeling fully safe to relax.

😴 Persistent fatigue: Emotional labour and stress can be draining on your system.

Your body isn’t betraying you, it’s communicating. Are there common signals your body gives you? 

✅ Action step: Choose one physical signal you’ve noticed lately and respond with curiosity and gentleness instead of judgment. You can start with a few deep breaths or even journal to tune into the deeper message.

^{Love, Lola Graham}

Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint, designed for a wide range of motion, but that mobility also makes it vulnerable to strain and instability.

Which is why keeping your shoulders healthy means strengthening the rotator cuff and the surrounding upper-back muscles, which help stabilize the joint, improve posture, and prevent impingement or pain over time.

One great exercise for this is Swimmers. Here is how to do it:

Note: For the full movement, focus on slow, controlled motion rather than speed, keeping your ribs down and shoulders relaxed away from your ears. You want to think about pulling your hands and elbows back the whole time to really fire up your upper back and shoulder muscles.

1.  Start with your hands behind your head like you’re being arrested. 

2. While keeping your elbows pulled back, straighten your arms like you’re trying to make a Y with your arms and body. 

3. Next, bring your arms down so you’re making a human T.

4. Then rotate your arms inward to point your thumbs down.

5. Bring your arms halfway down to your hips, pause here.

6. Bend your elbows and try to touch as high up on your back as you can.

7. Reverse the movement until your hands are behind your head.

Start these either seated or standing. Once you can do it easily, then try performing them lying face-down; the added resistance of gravity makes them much more difficult. 

✅ Action step: Do 2 sets of 3 to 6 slow Swimmers, concentrating on smooth movement and gentle control to build stronger, more resilient shoulders.

^{By: Joshua Graham}

^{A gentle invitation to integrate lived experience with kindness, perspective, and care.}

If you spoke to yourself like a dear friend, what would you say about this week?

Before you go, let us know what you thought of today’s edition and if there are any subjects you would like us to cover in the future reply to this email and let us know!

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With love and care,

Lola & Joshua | The Living Well Team

^{Living Well Daily is for educational purposes only and is in no way a substitute for professional medical and mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a qualified professional for care unique to your needs.}

^{Remember: It’s okay to ask for help. Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (Canada & US).}