By Michael O’Connell, LMFT — Joyful Counseling, Indianapolis
Have you ever heard of the Shamwow? It’s this super absorbent towel that can soak up an incredible amount of water—sometimes ten times its weight. In the commercials, the satisfying part is always when they squeeze it out. There’s something about that image that resonates with me.
In many ways, I think we all need to be “Shamwowed” sometimes.
Every day, we absorb stress and emotional energy from work, family, friends, and the world around us. By the end of the day, we’re carrying all of it: frustration, sadness, anxiety, even resentment. Sure, we might “squeeze out” a little after a workout, a hot shower, or a good meal. But often, the stress just sits there, piling up until—BOOM—it all comes spilling out.
That’s the problem with stress: when we don’t release it, we risk breaking under the weight.
How Stress Impacts Your Health
Stress isn’t just an emotional burden—it has real physical consequences. When left unchecked, chronic stress can contribute to:
- High blood pressure and blood sugar
- Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
- Sleep problems and fatigue
- Irritability and mood changes
- Anxiety or depression
At Joyful Counseling, we see many clients whose stress has built up silently over time until it starts impacting their relationships, work, and physical health.
Authors Emily and Amelia Nagoski, in their book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, remind us of an important truth: stressors (like work emails or household chores) are not the same as chronic stress. Stressors can be dealt with, but unless we actively complete the stress response cycle, our nervous system never fully resets. That’s when overwhelm takes over.
Completing the Stress Cycle
So how do you “squeeze out your Shamwow”? The Nagoski sisters suggest finding intentional ways to complete the stress response cycle. That could be exercise, laughter, deep breathing, connecting with someone you love, or creative expression.
One of the practices I often share with clients—and that I personally return to again and again—is the art of letting go.
The Practice of Letting Go
Letting go isn’t about ignoring problems or pretending things don’t matter. It’s about choosing not to carry what you don’t need anymore. As therapist and author Hugh Prather explains in The Little Book of Letting Go, this process has three steps:
- Identify the obstacles that block your sense of peace and wholeness.
- Ask yourself if you are truly ready to release them.
- Respond from your whole self—not just conflicting thoughts—and embrace sincerity.
This practice takes time, but it’s deeply healing. Letting go helps us acknowledge how much stress we’re absorbing and gently make space for what matters most.
Slowing Down Enough to Notice
Most of the time, we don’t realize how heavy the “towel” has gotten. Carrying stress day after day just becomes our normal, and it’s not until we slow down—often in therapy—that we notice how saturated we really are.
Letting go isn’t about pretending life is easy; it’s about giving yourself permission to release what you’ve been holding, little by little, so you don’t have to carry it all alone. At Joyful Counseling in Indianapolis, we’d be honored to walk with you in that slowing down.
A Simple Practice for Letting Go (Free Worksheet to Support You)
Sometimes stress feels so normal or overwhelming that it can feel imposibble to just "let it go." That’s why I created a simple worksheet you can use to notice what’s weighing on you, reset your body, and practice letting go. It’s the same kind of reflection I invite clients into in therapy—and it can help you not only feel lighter, but also bring more presence and ease into your relationships.