Anger that has no outlet does not disappear. It moves into the body and finds somewhere to sit.

  • A jaw that stays clenched through back-to-back meetings.
  • Stomach problems that have no clear dietary explanation.
  • Chest tightness that arrives on Sunday evenings.
  • Shoulders that have not fully dropped in weeks.

The gut and the brain are in constant communication through pathways including the vagus nerve. When frustration is repeatedly suppressed, many people notice it not in their thoughts first, but in their digestion.

In high-pressure work environments, where expressing frustration carries professional risk, this is extremely common. People learn to manage their reaction in the room and absorb the rest.

Over time the absorption has a physical cost.

A quick check-in worth offering your team, or yourself: is there tension in the jaw right now? Tightness in the chest? An unsettled feeling in the stomach without a clear reason?

About the author

Angira in close portrait, smiling, her hair loose over one shoulder, wearing jhumka earrings and a patterned collar, a woven backdrop behind her. Black and white.

Angira Chakravorty Dasgupta

Founder, SVã flo

Angira is the creator of SVã flo – a Somatic Soul Integrated System that works through the body rather than around it. She is a faculty member at Kolkata Sanved, the TISS-affiliated institution where Dance Movement Therapy is taught in India.

Read more about Angira