4 Somatic Movements For Releasing Anxiety
Feel Grounded And Centered With These Four Somatic Exercises
Before we dive into the four somatic exercises to release anxiety, let’s start with the meaning of somatic.
Somatic refers to the physical body in connection to sensations and movement.
Somatic movements consist of focused exercises not performed for outward appearances. Instead, they’re done slowly and intentionally to strengthen your mind-body connection, improve your body awareness, and enhance your mental health.
Practicing somatic movements offer individuals multiple health benefits including:
Reduced pain and discomfort
Improved flexibility and mobility
Increased strength and balance
Decreased stress, anxiety, and tension
Overall, somatic exercises bring awareness to the present moment and promote a sense of peace, which is especially helpful during stress-inducing situations.
In this blog post, we’re going to walk through four somatic movements you can try next time you’re feeling anxious, untethered, or disconnected from yourself.
Releasing Anxiety With Somatic Movements
Somatic Exercise 1: Ground Yourself
Start by standing up and feeling your feet press into the ground. Don’t be afraid to take your shoes and socks off and bounce on the balls of your feet.
Notice if the ground is stretching up to you or if you are reaching down into the ground.
Next, find a tennis ball and roll the ball gently under each foot. Imagine you’re exploring your foot for the first time. Are there tender or tight places? Does one foot feel different than the other?
If you don’t have a tennis ball then massage your feet, wiggle and stretch your toes, and roll out your ankles.
When you’re done, stand up and feel when your feet meet the ground. Again, notice if the ground is reaching up to you or if your feet are pressing down into the ground.
During stressful moments, practice reconnecting with this sense of grounding by simply bringing awareness to your feet. See if you can recall the experience of massage and rolling out your feet. Bring that experience and feeling to mind to recreate it in the present moment and feel more centered.
Of course, you may not be able to pull off your socks and shoes, but you can still press your feet into the ground, wiggle your toes, and recenter yourself.
Somatic Exercise 2: Extend Your Exhale
This second exercise asks you to focus on your inhale and exhale to help you calm yourself.
When you feel your anxiety rise or are experiencing a stressful event, take a moment to notice your breath without changing it. Be curious how your breath is naturally moving at this moment.
Then, take a breath in and count the length of your inhale. Imagine, 1…2…3…
When you breathe out, try to extend your exhale for a count or two longer than your inhale. 1…2…3…4…5….
Repeat this process a few times, and then continue breathing without counting.
Reflect again on how your breath is moving.
Has there been any change?
Are your inhales and exhales longer or more relaxed?
How does the rest of your body and mind feel now?
Extending your exhale brings attention to your parasympathetic nervous system. That’s the part of your nervous system that’s engaged when you feel relaxed.
When you focus on your breath and extend your exhale during a stressful situation, you jumpstart your nervous system and let your body it’s time to calm down.
Next time you feel your anxiety rising before, during, or after an event, try out this breathing exercise and see how it feels in your body.
Somatic Exercise 3: Feel Your Body
Stick with me for exercise number three because it may sound odd.
This exercise reminds you that you have skin.
See, I told you it was odd.
Your skin is your primary boundary. It holds you together physically, contains your spirit, and interacts with the world around you.
By connecting with your skin, your sense of containment and safety strengthens. This is a counterpoint to feeling anxious, out of control, or not in your own body.
To begin this exercise, start with touching any exposed skin - your hands, arms, neck, or ankles are usually easiest.
From there, pay attention to how your clothing feels against your body.
Are your jeans heavy and scratchy?
Is your shirt soft and flowy?
Are your socks warm?
Now, move your hands over the rest of your body and experiment with different touches. Try gentle squeezes, rubbing, or patting, different bodies react to different sensations.
Don’t forget to connect with your back, your face, and the top of your head!
As you do this, try to shift your attention between the feeling of touching (what your hands notice) and the feeling of being touched (how your body responds).
During stressful moments, reconnecting with your touch and simply bringing awareness to your body helps ground you again.
Somatic Exercise 4: Enlarge Your Muscles
For our final exercise, take a seat in a comfortable chair with your legs uncrossed and feet planted on the ground.
Check-in with yourself:
How ‘in’ your body do you feel right now?
Do you notice where you’re touching the chair?
Do you feel stuck in your mind and racing thoughts?
Now, push your feet firmly into the ground and see if you notice any changes.
From there, bring your hands to the outside of your thighs. As you press your thighs out, resist with your hands. Next, do the reverse. Bring your hands to the inside of your thighs and press them out as your legs push in.
Throughout this process, track any shifts in your energy, thoughts, or experience.
Engaging your large muscles helps you shift your focus and energy down a level while slowing and quieting your busy mind.
Somatic Movement Therapy For Anxiety
These four exercises help you reconnect with your body during stressful situations. For them to work, need just a few moments to refocus your mind, body, and energy and ground yourself again.
But sometimes, somatic movement isn’t enough.
This is why somatic exercise is just one piece of my 12-Month Holistic Counseling program.
Over the course of 12 months, we use a variety of therapeutic techniques (including Internal Family Systems, Somatic Movement, and Compassionate Inquiry) to help you dial into your body and mind.
If you’re ready to uncover your true purpose and create a path forward that strengthens your relationships and sense of self, reach out now for a consultation.