In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), grief and sadness are primarily associated with the Lungs, affecting breathing and immunity, but also potentially impacting the Heart (feeling "brokenhearted") and the Liver, while Western medicine links intense grief to increased risk for cardiovascular issues like heart attack and stroke, highlighting the body's profound mind-body connection to stress and loss.
Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems; all of these are fundamentally influenced by brain function and neurotransmitters.
Grief is the emotion of the lungs and the large intestine, organs associated with the metal element. Loss of any kind will often trigger a feeling of being energetically drained and of having difficult bowel function. Grief can stay with us for a while, and can go unresolved until we decide to release it.
Grief isn't just something we feel in our minds; it lives in our bodies too. When you go through a loss, your body holds onto that experience, sometimes in ways you may not even notice at first. Trauma can get stored deep in your muscles, in your breath, and even in the way your heart beats.
Unhealthy grieving involves persistent, debilitating symptoms like intense yearning, inability to function, extreme isolation, self-destructive behaviors (substance abuse, risky actions), emotional numbness, hopelessness, chronic guilt, and preoccupation with "what ifs," often lasting many months and preventing normal life reintegration, signaling potential complicated grief or depression requiring professional help, especially if it disrupts daily life for extended periods, says Wellman Psychology, Eddins Counseling & Therapy Group, and the Mayo Clinic.
Shoulders & Neck: Burdens, responsibility, grief we feel we must carry. Chest & Heart: Loss, heartbreak, deep grief, difficulty expressing love. Stomach & Gut: Anxiety, fear, “gut feelings” ignored or suppressed. Hips & Pelvis: Stored anger, shame, or unprocessed sexuality-related trauma.
To release grief from the body, use somatic practices like deep breathing, gentle movement (yoga, walking), and mindful self-touch (like gentle stroking) to calm the nervous system, alongside emotional release through crying, journaling, and talking, or seeking professional help with therapies like EMDR or somatic experiencing to process stored tension and trauma.
The liver also has a lot to do with stress and anger. Physically, an imbalanced liver can create tight tendons, necks and shoulders, and emotionally it can lead to a tightness of the spirit.
It's common for grief to cause physical symptoms. But you may find it frightening if you do not know why you're having these symptoms. And you might be worried that you have an undiagnosed health problem, or that grief is making you ill.
Symptoms include:
Sadness and grief
Sadness affects the Lungs,61 the Liver,62 and the Heart and may influence the functional relationship between these organs. Sadness and grief induces Heart and/or Liver Blood Deficiency and may also impact the functions of the Uterus.
There's no single hardest stage, as it varies by person, but many find Depression the most difficult due to overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, and isolation as the reality of the loss sets in. Others find Acceptance challenging because it means truly realizing the permanence of the loss, while some struggle most with initial Denial, Anger, or intense Bargaining, with each stage presenting unique challenges.
Behavioral and Mental Health
Healing starts with small steps—choosing what helps, connecting with others, and communicating your needs. Grief is unique for everyone. Avoid comparing your grief to others. Practice the “three Cs”: choose, connect, communicate.
Grief exhaustion is a deep and overwhelming fatigue that often accompanies the grieving process. When someone experiences loss, their emotional and physical energy can be drained by intense feelings of sadness, anger, and confusion. This exhaustion can make even simple tasks feel impossible.
The resulting body maps suggest that people often feel: anger in the head or chest. disgust in the mouth and stomach. sadness in the throat and chest.
Unresolved grief can lead to various symptoms, including anger, guilt, and delayed depression. Some other common symptoms are hypervigilance, being clingy or detached. The best way to deal with unresolved grief is to get closure; you can write a letter.