I love this topic for you — it fits so beautifully with the way you educate. Here’s a warmer, more conversational version that still keeps the physiology intact:

Stress & Fluid Retention: Why Your Body Feels Puffy During Hard Seasons

Have you ever gone through a stressful stretch and suddenly felt… puffy?

Your rings feel tighter.
Your face looks a little fuller.
Your midsection feels bloated.
The scale is up a few pounds — even though nothing has really changed.

It’s frustrating. And it can feel confusing.

But here’s something important:

Your body is not malfunctioning.
It’s responding to stress exactly the way it was designed to.

Let’s talk about why.

Stress Changes Your Hormones

When you’re under stress — whether it’s emotional, physical, or even lack of sleep — your body releases cortisol.

Cortisol is a survival hormone. It helps you respond to threats. It keeps you alert. It mobilizes energy.

But it also influences your kidneys.

Elevated cortisol can cause your body to hold onto more sodium.
And when sodium is retained… water follows.

That’s when you may notice:

• Puffiness in the face

• Swollen fingers

• Abdominal bloating

• A temporary increase on the scale

This isn’t fat gain.

It’s fluid.

Stress Also Affects Fluid-Regulating Hormones

Chronic stress activates a system in the body called the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). It sounds complicated, but its job is simple: regulate blood pressure and fluid balance.

One of the hormones involved, aldosterone, tells your kidneys to retain sodium.

Again — sodium pulls water.

In a true emergency, this response is protective.
In chronic stress, it can leave you feeling swollen and uncomfortable.

Your Lymphatic System Needs Calm to Flow

The lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump like the heart. It depends on:

• Deep diaphragmatic breathing

• Muscle movement

• A calm, parasympathetic state

When you’re stressed, you shift into fight-or-flight mode.

Breathing becomes shallow.
Muscles tighten.
Circulation patterns change.

Lymph flow can slow.

For some people — especially post-operative clients or those prone to edema — this can show up quickly as fluid retention or a heavy, congested feeling.

Stress Increases Inflammation

Chronic stress also increases inflammatory signaling in the body.

Inflammation can make blood vessels more permeable, meaning fluid moves into tissues more easily — and stays there longer.

This adds another layer to that “why do I feel swollen?” experience.

And Then There’s Sleep

Stress disrupts sleep.
Poor sleep increases cortisol.
Higher cortisol increases fluid retention.

It becomes a loop.

So What Actually Helps?

Not punishment.
Not extreme restriction.
Not over-exercising.

Often, what helps most is nervous system support.

• Slow, deep nasal breathing

• Gentle walking

• Light lymphatic support

• Consistent sleep

• Reducing overall stress load where possible

When the nervous system feels safer, the body often lets go.

If you’ve been feeling puffy during a stressful season, take this as reassurance:

Your body is adapting — not betraying you.

And sometimes the most powerful shift isn’t fighting the fluid.

It’s calming the system that’s holding onto it.