From Fire in the Belly to Cold Feet: Aches, Idioms & Ancient Wisdom

We throw around old sayings all the time—“She’s carrying the weight of the world,” “He’s got cold feet,” “She’s got a fire in her belly”—without thinking twice about them.

But here’s the thing: those phrases aren’t just colourful language.

They’re actually maps.

They point to the exact places in our bodies where emotion, stress, and energy tend to land and this is something that fascinates me and makes me so curious!

These aren’t just metaphors; they’re instructions—quiet reminders that our bodies are talking, and maybe, just maybe, our ancestors were onto something long before Google and gut health influencers.

Here’s a few examples for ya!!!

✨“She Carries the Weight of the World on Her Shoulders”

You know that feeling when life is so heavy that your shoulders start rising toward your ears like they’re trying to escape the drama?

That’s not just posture—it’s a biochemical shrug.

The trapezius and neck muscles tighten.

You get tension headaches.

Your shoulders feel like they're carrying bricks—and in a way, they are.

This phrase screams heart and throat chakra overload: holding responsibilities, unspoken words, caretaking for everyone except yourself.

And the shoulders? They take the hit.

Wellness tip: Stretch, breathe, and consider saying “no” to things that make you wish you had just said no to. It's radical self-care. Or just schedule a massage and cry on the table. Both are valid.

✨“She’s Got a Fire in Her Belly”

Passion! Drive! Hunger for life!

That fire? It's often based in your solar plexus chakra —your personal power centre, home of ambition and boundary-setting.

When this fire is burning bright, you're unstoppable.

But too much fire?

Cue acid reflux, ulcers, and unexplained rage at people who walk too slow in front of you down the road.

This is why so many high-achieving Type A’s develop digestive issues. It's not the green smoothie—it’s the rage smoothie inside them.

Wellness tip: If your ambition comes with chronic indigestion or burnout, it's time to cool that belly fire. Breathwork, peppermint tea, and reminding yourself that you don’t need to prove your worth by answering work emails at midnight are a good start.

✨“He’s Got Cold Feet”

Yes, it’s about fear. But also—why the feet?

According to traditional Chinese medicine and reflexology, your feet are an energetic highway to the rest of your body. Cold feet might actually mean your root chakra is off-kilter. You feel unsafe, ungrounded, hesitant to commit—whether it's to a person, a job, or a drastic new haircut.

Cold feet aren’t just about leaving someone standing at the altar. They’re about not feeling planted enough to take the next step.

Wellness tip: Ground yourself.

Walk barefoot on grass.

Eat grounding foods.

And if you're constantly fleeing things (or people) at the last minute, maybe it's time to check in with your fear rather than ghost it.

✨“She’s a Pain in the Neck”

This one's for all the tension hoarders. Emotional baggage likes to set up a nice little Airbnb in our cervical spine.

When someone or something is quite literally a pain in the neck, it’s often because you're holding back how you really feel. The throat chakra again: unspoken truth, suppressed anger, and that thing you really wanted to say in that meeting but didn’t, because you didn’t want to sound “unprofessional.”

Wellness tip: Do some neck rolls. Speak your truth. Or at least scream into a pillow. Don’t let your cervical vertebrae suffer.

✨The Body Keeps the Proverbs as well as the Score

We may not use these kind of phrases so much anymore, but they're actually somatic poetry. I love that!

They point to the deep intelligence of the body—the way emotions, energy, and language are all tangled up in our tissues.

Our aches and pains aren't just mechanical.

Sometimes they’re metaphorical.

A tight chest might not just be bad posture—it could be grief.

A stiff jaw might not just be clenching—it could be anger you never voiced.

The ancients knew what was up. And your Nanny, with her psychic weather forecasts based on her knee pain? She might know more about the mind-body connection than half the wellness influencers on Instagram today!

☀️These phrases and what different sensations people feel throughout their bodies come up time and time again at our Reiki sound baths. These are the chats I absolutely adore! Find out more about them here.

Reiki Sound Baths