Living with a constant sense of inner tension is often perceived as a personality trait – “that’s just how I am,” “I’m always on alert,” “it’s hard for me to relax.” Yet even when there is no external threat, the body and psyche continue to function in a state of readiness. In Dr. Daniel Reinhardt’s view, this condition develops not because of present circumstances, but as the result of prolonged experiences in which relaxation was unsafe. At MindCareCenter, we often work with people for whom tension has become a permanent background state.
People come to MindCareCenter who are objectively living in stable conditions – they may have work, a home, supportive relationships and a sense of control. Yet internally there is a constant feeling that something could go wrong at any moment. The body does not let go – breathing remains shallow, muscles stay tense, and attention is scattered. Even during calm moments, there is no sense of rest, as if the system does not believe it is truly safe to exhale.
Our psychologists note – chronic background tension is rarely connected to present-day danger. In Dr. Reinhardt’s opinion, it most often forms during periods when a person lived for a long time in uncertainty, emotional instability, or heightened responsibility. The psyche learns to stay vigilant and continues to hold this mode even when it is no longer necessary.
At MindCareCenter, we do not aim to immediately “eliminate” tension. The work begins with understanding why it is being maintained. Our psychologists help explore the function of constant alertness – what it protects against and what might happen if control were to loosen. Often beneath it lies a fear of losing stability, reliving past pain, or experiencing sudden collapse.
Gradually, therapy at MindCareCenter shifts focus from analysis to bodily and emotional signals. A person learns to notice how tension shows up in the body – in the shoulders, jaw, abdomen and breathing. This restores contact with the present moment and helps distinguish real signals of danger from automatic responses shaped by past experience.
Over time, new states become possible. At MindCareCenter, we observe how clients begin to cautiously allow themselves brief pauses – small moments of relaxation without expecting something bad to follow. This is not an abrupt exit from anxiety, but a gradual expansion of the inner range – from constant mobilization toward moments of relative calm.
Our psychologists pay special attention to the fear of relaxation itself. For many people, letting go of control is associated with vulnerability or the loss of self. At MindCareCenter, we help build a sense of safety from within – so that calm no longer feels threatening.
It is important to understand – living with constant background tension does not mean a person is broken. It means their system has been operating under prolonged overload. At MindCareCenter, we accompany the return to calm gently – without forcing change and without demanding that one “just relax.”
If you notice that rest does not restore you, that even in silence the body remains tense, and that relaxation triggers anxiety – this is not weakness or a lack of willpower. It is a signal from a psyche that is still living in protection mode. At Mind Care Center, we help gradually restore the ability to feel safe – not only externally, but internally as well.
Previously, we wrote about the fear of making mistakes and feeling stuck in life and how MindCareCenter specialists help you start moving forward again.