Anxiety. It takes over your body. It makes your heart race, makes your body feel hot, and makes you feel like you might throw up. So why does traditional therapy focus on only changing your thoughts? Somatic therapy exercises can treat anxiety on a physical level so that your body can feel back to normal.
As a mental health therapy and trauma yoga teacher, I am obsessed with learning about the mind-body connection and using it to help people recover from anxiety. This post is ALL ABOUT somatic therapy exercises for anxiety.
Resourcing
Resourcing is one of the first somatic therapy exercises that I use in the office, and it is something anyone can do from home! Resourcing is using positive memories, people, or beliefs as something that can bring you to a place of calm.
To build and strengthen a resource, you first start with identifying someone, something, or a memory that makes you feel safe. Imagine being with this person or in that memory. Notice how you feel in your body. Practice amplifying and sitting with that feeling for several minutes.
To strengthen it even more, practice thinking of something that makes you a little anxious, allow the anxiety to build, and then recall the resource and allow your body to calm back down.
By doing this practice, you will strengthen your ability to create a safe feeling in your body.
Somatic Grounding
As far as somatic therapy exercises go, grounding is probably the most used by therapists. Grounding is the practice of using what you are experiencing in your body to bring you back to the present.
Anxiety often comes from worrying about the future or reliving a past experience. Coming back to the present and recognizing that you aren’t in physical danger can help relieve anxiety symptoms.
To practice, start by becoming aware of your breath. Notice how it feels moving through your body. Then notice how the ground or chair feels underneath your body. Branch out to your other senses. Notice what you hear, smell, and feel on your skin.
Doing this practice frequently when you’re NOT anxious can help you access it more quickly when you ARE anxious.
Shaking
Have you ever noticed your body shaking after you’ve been startled or after you’ve calmed down from a stressful event? Shaking is a natural response when our body has been overloaded with adrenaline.
Whenever you have anxiety, your body pushes adrenaline through your system to give you energy. When you don’t use that energy, your body shakes to release it out of your system.
Instinctually, you might notice yourself trying to stop your body from shaking, however, this can cause a negative effect. Instead, intentionally shake and move your body so that the adrenaline can be released more quickly.
(Click here to get the book: Trauma Releasing Exercises)
Orienting
Orienting is another one of the somatic therapy exercises that happens naturally, but you can use it to your advantage to change your anxious patterns.
Orienting is when your body scans the environment and gets you prepared for what you will likely experience. Your mind is naturally primed to scan for threats in the environment. From an evolutionary perspective, this habit protects you from potential danger. However, in the present day, it may make you overreactive to certain stimuli.
For example, if you have a history of being bullied in your past, you may walk into a situation and orient yourself to potential threats of being bullied. Your mind might pick up on things that aren’t actually threatening in the moment, but can cause your body to begin to feel anxious anyways. This is all happening on a subconscious level.
To hijack this natural response in your favor, begin by intentionally scanning the environment for cues of safety. To use our example, scan the environment for proof that people are being friendly or neutral. When you intentionally shift these subconscious habits to scan for safety, your body will eventually learn to start doing this on its own and your anxiety won’t be activated.
Flesh out the Anxiety
“Fleshing it out” is one of the somatic therapy exercises adapted from Internal Family Systems therapy. This technique involves sitting with and spending time with your anxiety to better understand it.
To “flesh out” your anxiety, start by sitting in stillness and scanning your body for where anxiety or tension lies (for example in your stomach or throat). Once you notice where it lives, imagine what color it is. Notice if it has a certain texture to it. Imagine pulling the anxiety out of your body, as if it were a separate entity, and sitting it in front of you. What does it look like? How big is it?
Once you create this entity, you can ask it questions. Be curious and see what it has to tell you. See if it needs anything. This is a great way to better understand your anxiety and where it comes from.
These are some of my most used techniques in sessions that can easily be adapted for practicing at home. I hope this post was helpful in learning Somatic Therapy Exercises for Anxiety.
Here are some other posts you might like:
5 Most Important CBT for Anxiety Techniques
How Can I Calm My Anxiety Fast (3 Must-Have Tips)
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