Ways to Manage Anxiety with Somatic Interventions

By Eileen Borski, LPC, Certified EMDR Therapist, Certified IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback Provider and Neurocounselor, providing in-person support in Conroe, Texas, and virtually throughout Texas, New Hampshire, Florida, and South Carolina.

People often talk about anxiety as if it only happens in the mind. They bring up things like overthinking, racing thoughts, continuous worry, or fear about what might happen. These mental experiences are definitely part of anxiety, but they are just one aspect. Anxiety also affects the body in real ways.

For many people, anxiety appears in the body before they even realize it. You might notice tight shoulders, a racing heart, stomach problems, jaw clenching, restlessness, tiredness, trouble sleeping, or just feeling on edge for no clear reason. These symptoms are not random; they are signs that your nervous system is reacting.

This is where somatic interventions can really help.

The word somatic comes from the Greek word soma, which means “the body.” Somatic interventions are ways to manage anxiety by working with your body and nervous system, not just your thoughts. These methods can calm your stress response, help you manage emotions, and make you feel safer in your own body.

Traditional talk therapy is still important, but many people find that knowing their anxiety is not always enough to make it go away. You might know you are safe, but your body can still react as if there is danger. Somatic approaches help close that gap.

Understanding Anxiety Via the Nervous System

Our nervous system is built to protect us. When the brain senses a threat, whether it is physical, emotional, social, or even just imagined, the body reacts with survival responses. These can include fight, flight, freeze, or shut down.

In today’s world, many people have an overactive nervous system without even knowing it. Things such as deadlines, social pressure, money worries, past trauma, constant phone alerts, too much stimulation, poor sleep, and stressful news can keep your body on high alert for long periods.

Over time, this can create symptoms such as:

• Muscle tension
• Irritability
• Panic attacks
• Chronic worry
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Digestive distress
• Sleep difficulties
• Emotional overwhelm
• Difficulty concentrating
• Hypervigilance

When your nervous system is out of balance, simply telling yourself to “calm down” usually doesn’t help. Your body needs real experiences of safety, grounding, and balance.

Somatic interventions help create those experiences.

1. Grounding Through Sensory Awareness

One of the easiest ways to manage anxiety is to ground yourself using your senses. Anxiety often makes you focus on the future, imagine the worst, or worry about what could go wrong. Grounding helps you come back to the present and reminds your body that you are actually safe right now.

A common grounding exercise involves using the five senses:

• Identify 5 things you can see
• Notice 4 things you can touch
• Listen for 3 things you can hear
• Identify 2 things you can smell
• Notice 1 thing you can taste

This exercise might seem simple, but it can break the cycle of anxious thoughts and help you reconnect with what is happening around you.

Other grounding approaches include:

• Holding a cold object
• Walking barefoot on grass
• Wrapping up in a weighted blanket
• Noticing physical contact with a chair or floor
• Slowly sipping a warm beverage

The purpose is not to distract yourself. It is to help your nervous system feel safe.

2. Breathwork and Nervous System Regulation

Breathing patterns often change during anxiety. Many individuals unknowingly breathe rapidly, shallowly, or hold their breath when stressed. Because breath is closely tied to the autonomic nervous system, intentional breathing exercises can help signal safety to the brain and body.

Slow, steady breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps your body rest, digest, and recover.

One helpful technique is diaphragmatic breathing:

1. Place one hand on the chest and one on the abdomen.
2. Slowly inhale through the nose for four counts.
3. Allow the belly to expand more than the chest.
4. Exhale slowly for six counts.
5. Repeat for several minutes.

Breathing out for longer than you breathe in can be especially calming. It helps your nervous system move out of high alert.

Some individuals benefit from structured breathing techniques such as:

• Box breathing
• 4-7-8 breathing
• Coherent breathing
• Alternate nostril breathing

What matters most is doing these exercises regularly, not doing them perfectly. Even a few minutes each day can help your nervous system become more flexible over time.

3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Anxiety often causes ongoing muscle tension. Many people get so used to feeling tense that they do not notice it until they feel pain or are very tired.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) helps increase awareness of tension patterns whilst teaching the body how to release them.

The process includes intentionally tightening and then relaxing muscle groups throughout the body. For example:

• Clench fists tightly for several seconds
• Release fully and notice the difference
• Repeat with shoulders, jaw, legs, abdomen, and other muscle groups

This exercise can help lower physical stress and make you more aware of your body.

Many people discover they are holding anxiety physically in places such as:

• The jaw
• Neck and shoulders
• Chest
• Stomach
• Hands
• Hips

Letting go of muscle tension can sometimes make your emotions feel less intense.

4. Movement as a Somatic Intervention

Our bodies are made to move. When you are stressed, your body prepares to act by building energy. If you do not use that energy, you might feel restless, agitated, or even panicky.

Intentional movement can help discharge some of this activation.

This does not mean you need to do hard exercise. Gentle, steady movement is often best for calming anxiety.

Examples include:

• Walking
• Stretching
• Yoga
• Dancing
• Tai Chi
• Shaking out the arms and legs
• Rocking movements
• Swimming

Moving both sides of your body in a uniform rhythm, like when you walk, can be especially calming for some people.

Moving your body can also help you reconnect with how you feel physically, without feeling threatened. Anxiety can make people disconnect from their bodies or see body sensations as scary. Gentle movement helps you trust your body again.

5. Somatic Awareness and Tracking

Many people living with anxiety become disconnected from internal body awareness. They may ignore signals of stress until they reach burnout or emotional overwhelm.

Somatic awareness means noticing what you feel in your body without judging or fearing it right away.

This may include asking questions such as:

• What am I feeling in my body right now?
• Where do I notice tension?
• Does this sensation have a temperature, shape, or movement?
• What changes when I slow down and observe it?

The aim is not to push these feelings away. Instead, try to notice them with interest rather than fear.

This way of noticing your body can help lower the fear of anxiety itself, which is called secondary anxiety.

6. Safe Connection and Co-Regulation

Our nervous systems are formed by our relationships. We manage our feelings not just on our own, but also by connecting with other people.

This is known as co-regulation.

Being around calm, safe people can help your nervous system feel more settled. Things like gentle eye contact, a soothing voice, feeling understood, or just sitting with someone you trust can help your body relax.

Sadly, many people with anxiety feel like they have to deal with it by themselves. Being alone often makes anxiety and nervous system problems worse.

Healthy co-regulation may include:

• Spending time with emotionally safe people
• Talking with a trusted therapist
• Physical affection with consent and comfort
• Sitting quietly with a caring person
• Participating in calming group activities

Working with a therapist can itself be a healing experience for your nervous system.

7. Mindfulness and Body Scanning

Mindfulness works better for anxiety when you pay attention to your body, not just your thoughts.

A body-scan meditation means slowly focusing on different parts of your body and noticing what you feel, without judging those sensations.

This can help individuals:

• Increase nervous system awareness
• Reduce dissociation
• Improve emotional management
• Identify stress earlier
• Develop tolerance for bodily sensations

It is important that mindfulness does not feel like a punishment. For some people with a history of trauma, silent meditation can feel too intense at first. Somatic mindfulness should be done gently and adjusted to what feels right for you.

8. Trauma-Informed Somatic Therapies

For some individuals, chronic anxiety is connected to unresolved trauma or prolonged stress exposure. In these situations, deeper treatment interventions may be helpful.

Trauma-informed somatic therapies may include approaches such as:

• EMDR therapy
• Somatic Experiencing
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
• Neurofeedback
• Mindfulness-based therapies
• Polyvagal-informed interventions

These therapies look at both your thoughts and memories, as well as how your experiences are stored in your nervous system.

Many people realize that their anxiety is not just in their mind. Their body has learned to stay on alert, even when there is no real danger anymore.

Somatic interventions can help you build new feelings of safety, balance, and strength.

Final Thoughts

Anxiety does not just happen in your mind. It also happens in your nervous system.

Understanding your anxiety and using thinking strategies can help, but many people also need to involve their body. Somatic interventions give you practical ways to calm your body’s stress response, stay present, and manage your emotions.

These methods are not about just thinking positive or forcing yourself to relax. They help your nervous system feel safe so you can move out of survival mode.

Making small, steady changes often leads to the biggest improvements over time.

Whether you try intentional breathing, grounding, movement, muscle relaxation, or trauma-informed therapy, somatic interventions can help you go from just getting by with anxiety to feeling more connected, balanced, and present in your life. Reach out to learn more about anxiety therapy.

About the Author

Eileen Borski, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor and founder of Authentic Brain Solutions. She is a Certified EMDR Therapist and a Certified IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback provider. She specializes in neurocounseling and trauma-informed care treatment for ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. Eileen’s practice focuses on working with individuals to provide brain-based solutions and highly personalized care.