Somatic Techniques for Anxiety

How to work with your body when your mind won’t slow down

Anxiety isn’t just something happening in your thoughts. It’s something your body is doing.

Racing heart. Tight chest. Shallow breath. Jaw clenched. Shoulders up around your ears.

Somatic work helps you address anxiety from the bottom up - through the nervous system - rather than trying to think your way out of it.

Below are gentle, effective somatic techniques for anxiety that help your body feel safer so your mind can follow.

What Are Somatic Techniques?

Somatic techniques are body-based practices that help you:

• notice sensations instead of fighting them

• support nervous system regulation

• release stored tension and emotional charge

• build a sense of safety inside your body

They are especially helpful if:

• you overthink everything

• talk therapy hasn’t helped much

• you know why you’re anxious but still feel it anyway

Somatic Techniques for Anxiety (You Can Try These Anytime)

1. Orienting to Safety

Anxiety narrows your focus inward. Orienting brings your system back to the present.

Try this:

• Slowly look around the room

• Name 5 things you can see

• Let your eyes linger on what feels neutral or pleasant

This tells your nervous system: I’m here, and I’m safe right now.

2. Longer Exhales

You don’t need fancy breathing — just a longer out-breath.

Try this:

• Inhale through your nose for 4

• Exhale through your mouth for 6–8

• Repeat 5–10 times

Longer exhales activate the parasympathetic (calming) response.

3. Gentle Self-Contact

Touch can be incredibly regulating when it’s slow and intentional.

Try this:

• One hand on your chest, one on your belly

• Or a hand on the back of your neck

• Apply gentle pressure and pause

You’re giving your body a physical cue of support.

4. Pendulation (Small Doses of Sensation)

Instead of forcing calm, you move between sensations.

Try this:

• Notice where anxiety feels strongest

• Then notice a place in your body that feels neutral or okay

• Slowly go back and forth between the two

This builds capacity without overwhelm.

5. Naming Sensations (Not Stories)

Anxiety often grows when we attach meaning to sensations.

Instead of:“I’m anxious, something is wrong.”

Try:

• “Tightness in my chest”

• “Warmth in my face”

• “Buzzing in my arms”

Staying with sensation helps emotions move through instead of looping.

6. Micro-Movement

Anxiety is energy. Small movements help it discharge safely.

Try:

• Slowly rolling your shoulders

• Gently shaking out your hands

• Pressing your feet into the floor

Think subtle, not intense.

7. Letting the Body Lead

Sometimes the body knows what it needs before the mind does.

Try asking quietly:

• “What does my body need right now?”

• Then follow the smallest impulse — stretch, rest, breathe, move, pause

This builds trust between you and your nervous system.

Why Somatic Techniques Work for Anxiety

Anxiety isn’t a flaw. It’s often a protective response shaped by past experiences.

Somatic work:

• helps your body complete stress responses that were interrupted

• reduces the need for constant hyper-vigilance

• builds long-term nervous system resilience

You’re not trying to “get rid” of anxiety — you’re helping your body feel safe enough to let go.

When Anxiety Feels Persistent or Overwhelming

Somatic techniques are powerful, but sometimes anxiety is tied to deeper patterns, conditioning, or emotional experiences that need supportive space to unfold.

That’s where guided, body-based work can help — especially if you’re tired of managing anxiety on your own.

Final Thought

You don’t have to force calm. You don’t have to override your body. And you don’t have to hustle your way into healing.

Anxiety often softens when your body finally feels heard.

To support your body with somatic care - please book in

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