Top 7 Fascinating Signs Your Heart Chakra is Blocked;
#4 is Mind-blowing!
Do you find it hard to say “I love myself” or to really connect with others on a deeper level? Maybe you’ve noticed upper back tension, heart palpitations, or that frustrating feeling like you can’t take a full breath.
💚Heart chakra blockages are far more common than most people realise. And while some symptoms are obvious, like the ones above, many are subtle and easy to miss.
The heart chakra, located in the centre of your chest and often visualised as a glowing green (or sometimes pink) sphere — is the fourth energy centre in your chakra system. It sits right between the three lower (physical) chakras and the three upper (spiritual) ones, acting as a bridge that connects body and soul.
🚫Some even say it’s the most important chakra to focus on, because when the heart is blocked, none of your other chakras are receiving the energy they truly need. Your whole energetic system can feel like it’s running on low battery.
And it really does hit you in the feels. Whether you’re overwhelmed by emotion or feel emotionally flat and empty (which is its own kind of distress — I’ve been there), a blocked heart chakra tends to show up in how you relate to yourself and others. Yes, there can be physical signs, but the emotional ones often run deeper and cut sharper.
🌫️The element associated with the heart chakra is air — and that’s more than just a symbol. Air represents freedom, openness, and breath.
When this chakra is flowing, you feel light, spacious, and connected. But when it's blocked, it can feel like you’re suffocating emotionally or energetically. Your breath becomes shallow, your chest tight, and connection feels just out of reach, both with others and with yourself.
So lets jump into the top 7 signs your heart chakra is blocked:
Jealousy & feeling emotionally unsafe
Jealousy isn’t just about wanting what someone else has, it’s a protective response rooted in fear and comparison.
When your heart chakra is blocked, it becomes incredibly hard to feel real love for yourself or even see the good parts of who you are. You only see what you’re not, which makes it so much easier to look at others and think, “They’re better than me,” or “They have something I don’t.”
🔄This lack of self-love feeds the comparison loop and jealousy thrives in that space. A blocked heart chakra also affects your ability to trust. And in relationships, that shows up fast.
You might feel suspicious, overanalyze your partner’s words, or even fear they’re being dishonest or unfaithful, even if nothing is wrong. It’s not that you’re “crazy,” it’s that your heart doesn’t feel safe.
🛡️ You’re emotionally guarded, and because of that, your nervous system is constantly on the lookout for signs of danger… which can turn into intense jealousy, anxiety, and emotional spirals that feel impossible to stop.
2. Tightness or pressure in the chest and/or heart palpitations while stressed
Your heart chakra is located right over your physical heart and lungs, so when this energy centre is blocked, it's very common to feel tightness, pressure, a dull ache in your chest , or even palpitations especially during emotional stress.
You might also notice fluttering or pounding heartbeats, not because something’s wrong with your heart, but because the energy in this area is overwhelmed or stagnant.
When your heart chakra is closed, your body doesn't feel emotionally safe and that’s picked up instantly by your nervous system.
The vagus nerve, which plays a big role in calming your heart rate and breath, runs right through the chest. So if you’re carrying emotional tension here, from grief, heartbreak, betrayal, or fear of connection, your body literally tightens up to protect you.
3. Upper back and shoulder tension and pain
When your heart chakra is blocked, your body often takes on the weight of unprocessed emotion and nowhere holds that tension quite like your upper back and shoulders. This area sits directly behind the heart, and energetically, it's where we carry burdens, emotional armour, and the weight of responsibility we were never meant to hold.
🤕If you feel tightness between your shoulder blades, like you're constantly bracing or can’t fully relax your posture, it could be more than just poor ergonomics. You may be unconsciously protecting your heart space, guarding it from hurt, rejection, or vulnerability.
It’s a common pattern for people who’ve experienced betrayal, abandonment, or emotional neglect.
💔This type of pain can come and go with your emotional state, flaring up when you’re feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsupported. Stretching might help temporarily, but if the energy behind it isn’t addressed, the tension keeps coming back.
Releasing this area physically and energetically often brings an unexpected sense of relief like finally letting go of something you didn’t realise you’d been carrying for years.
4. Thinking you’re always the problems while idealising others and devaluating yourself
Ever feel like you’re the common denominator when things go wrong? Like even when no one says it out loud, somehow it must be your fault? This is one of the most painful and often overlooked signs your heart chakra is blocked.
When the heart chakra is closed, love doesn’t flow easily, especially toward yourself. That inner voice becomes harsh and critical, twisting neutral situations into evidence that you’re the problem.
You might see judgement where there is none, over-read a comment, or feel like people are annoyed with you even when they’re not. You internalise it and shrink yourself, becoming smaller and quieter to avoid messing up again.
Or maybe you get defensive, frustrated, like no one ever sees your intentions. (Has anyone ever called you “too sensitive” or “defensive”?)
💚And while you're doubting yourself, you’re likely idealising others, thinking they must have it all figured out, they always know what to say, they never mess up like you do. You give them the benefit of the doubt but can’t offer the same kindness to yourself.
But here’s the thing: Would you speak to someone you love the way you speak to yourself? I bet not. And that’s the core of it.
❌When your heart chakra is blocked, it becomes nearly impossible to access true self-love or trust your own worth. You don’t feel emotionally safe within yourself, so of course everything feels like your fault. Healing your heart chakra helps you shift this lens — so you can start seeing yourself with the same compassion you so freely give to others.
If this is resonating so far, you’ll want to take my Free Chakra Quiz to find out which one of your 7 are blocked. It’s a simple 8 question quiz with super accurate results so you know exactly where to start your healing.
5. Breathlessness or feeling like you cant take a full breath
You’re not imagining it — that frustrating feeling like no breath is quite deep enough, even when you’re sitting still and trying to relax, is one of the classic blocked heart chakra physical symptoms.
The heart chakra sits in the centre of your chest, right between your lungs, and is closely connected to both your breath and your sense of emotional safety.
When this chakra is blocked — often due to grief, emotional trauma, heartbreak, or even years of feeling unloved — your body can physically tense up through the chest, making it feel like you just can’t breathe properly.
Even if your lungs are fine, you might notice shallow breathing, frequent sighing or no matter how deep you breath, feeling like you just can’t fill your lungs. It can be frustrating but Once the heart chakra starts to open again, your chest softens, your breathing deepens, and you finally feel like you can let go.
6. You crave affection but push it away when its offered
You long for love. To be held, cared for, seen. Maybe you imagine it, fantasise about it, or feel the ache of not having it — but when someone actually offers you affection, you freeze, shut down, or push it away. Sound familiar?
This is a powerful sign your heart chakra is blocked. When your heart doesn’t feel safe, it doesn’t matter how badly you want connection — your body will still treat it like a threat.
You might stiffen up during hugs, feel awkward receiving compliments, or get overwhelmed by kind gestures. And then you might judge yourself for it: “Why can’t I just accept love like a normal person?”
🔒 But the truth is, this isn’t your fault. Somewhere along the way, you learned that love wasn’t safe. Maybe it was inconsistent, conditional, or used against you. And now, even though part of you craves it deeply, another part is still in protection mode — keeping love at arm’s length to avoid getting hurt.
🤝✋This push-pull dynamic is exhausting. You want love but can’t seem to let it in. You long for intimacy but don’t feel safe being vulnerable. It all comes back to the heart chakra: when this centre is blocked, receiving love feels just as unsafe as losing it.
Healing begins when you slowly teach your body that softness, connection, and closeness can be safe again — and that you are worthy of receiving it fully.
7. Empty or hollow feeling in the chest
There’s a very specific kind of feeling — like a dull ache, a hollow space, or an emotional numbness right in the centre of your chest. It’s hard to describe, but if you’ve felt it, you know.
This is one of the more subtle yet deeply felt blocked heart chakra symptoms, and it often shows up when you’ve been disconnected from your emotions or sense of self for a long time.
🔆🕊️The heart chakra is the energetic centre of love, connection, and aliveness. When it’s open, we feel warmth in the chest, a sense of wholeness, and an ability to both give and receive love freely.
But when it’s closed — whether from grief, heartbreak, neglect, or long-standing emotional suppression — the energy here can feel flat, cold, or absent altogether.
You might feel like something’s missing but you can’t explain what. Like you’re going through the motions, but not really feeling life. You may not even cry easily anymore — not because you’re healed, but because that part of you has gone numb.
⚠️This empty feeling isn’t a flaw or personal failure. It’s your heart chakra saying, “It’s not safe to feel right now.” But the truth is, you can reconnect. You can feel again. When you begin to create emotional safety in your body and gently reopen this centre, warmth and aliveness return — not all at once, but enough to remind you that your heart is still very much alive underneath it all.
Final Thoughts: A Closed Heart Changes Everything
A blocked heart chakra can quietly affect the way life feels — from how you breathe, to how you relate to others, to how you speak to yourself. When this energy centre closes, it becomes difficult to trust, to connect, and to receive love in a way that feels safe and natural.
These signs are your body’s way of bringing attention to what’s been unspoken for too long. The chest tightens, self-worth dips, affection feels uncomfortable, all because the heart hasn’t had the support it needs to stay open. But awareness is powerful. Just recognising these patterns is a step toward creating change.
To begin clearing stuck energy and reconnecting with what you truly need, it helps to know which chakra is most out of balance right now.
💫 Take the free Chakra Quiz to find out where your energy is blocked and how that might be affecting your emotions, health, and inner stability.