Ashley Jangro, LPCC • 6 min read • Mind-Body Connection
Anxiety isn't just happening in your mind. It's a whole-body experience that shows up in tight shoulders, shallow breathing, a racing heart, and that familiar knot in your stomach. Which means the path to managing anxiety isn't just through thoughts, but through working with your body.
Somatic techniques focus on the body's wisdom and its natural capacity to return to calm. These are tools that work with your nervous system directly, often providing faster relief than cognitive approaches alone.
Your body is constantly communicating with you about your emotional state. Learning to listen to these signals and respond with somatic techniques can transform how you experience and manage anxiety.
Why Somatic Techniques Work for Anxiety
When you're anxious, your nervous system is in a state of activation. Your body is preparing for danger, even when there's no real threat present. Traditional talk therapy can help you understand your anxiety, but somatic techniques help you actually change the physiological state that's driving those anxious thoughts.
As trauma specialist Dr. Peter Levine explains, "Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness." Somatic techniques provide a way to release what the body is holding and return to natural regulation.
5 Powerful Somatic Techniques for Daily Anxiety Management
1The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
When anxiety pulls you into future worries or racing thoughts, this technique brings you back into your body and the present moment.
How to practice:
- 5 things you can see: Look around and name five specific things you can see. "I see the blue coffee mug, the wooden table, sunlight on the wall..."
- 4 things you can touch: Notice textures. "I feel the smooth surface of my phone, the soft fabric of my sweater..."
- 3 things you can hear: Tune into sounds. "I hear the hum of the refrigerator, birds outside, my own breathing..."
- 2 things you can smell: Notice any scents in the air.
- 1 thing you can taste: What taste is present in your mouth right now?
Why it works:
This technique activates your parasympathetic nervous system (your "rest and digest" mode) by engaging your senses and pulling attention away from anxious thoughts into present-moment body awareness.
2Progressive Muscle Release
Anxiety often shows up as muscular tension. This technique helps you notice where you're holding stress and consciously release it.
How to practice:
- 1. Scan your body: Notice where you feel tension. Common spots: shoulders, jaw, forehead, stomach.
- 2. Breathe into the tension: Send your breath to that area of your body.
- 3. Tense and release: Intentionally tighten the muscle group for 5 seconds, then suddenly release.
- 4. Notice the contrast: Pay attention to the difference between tension and relaxation.
- 5. Move through your body: Work from your toes to the top of your head, or focus on problem areas.
Pro tip:
You can do a mini-version of this by just releasing your shoulders and jaw whenever you notice them tightening throughout the day.
3Extended Exhale Breathing
Your breathing directly influences your nervous system. Extending your exhale activates your vagus nerve and signals safety to your body.
How to practice:
Basic version:
- • Breathe in for 4 counts
- • Breathe out for 6-8 counts
- • Continue for 5-10 breaths
Advanced version (4-7-8 breathing):
- • Breathe in for 4 counts
- • Hold for 7 counts
- • Exhale slowly for 8 counts
Why it works:
When your exhale is longer than your inhale, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is one of the fastest ways to move from anxiety into calm.
4Somatic Shaking or Movement
Animals naturally shake after escaping danger to discharge stress from their nervous system. We can use intentional movement to release anxiety held in the body.
How to practice:
Gentle shaking:
- • Start by shaking your hands and wrists
- • Move to your arms and shoulders
- • Shake your whole body for 1-2 minutes
- • End by standing still and noticing how you feel
Other movement options:
- • Walk in place while swinging your arms
- • Do shoulder rolls and neck stretches
- • Dance to one song
- • Do jumping jacks for 30 seconds
Remember:
The goal isn't intense exercise. It's gentle movement that helps discharge nervous energy and return to regulation.
5Container Breathing with Visualization
This technique combines breathwork with visualization to help you feel contained and safe when anxiety feels overwhelming.
How to practice:
- 1. Find your container: Visualize a safe, contained space. This might be a cozy room, a protective bubble, or being held in caring hands.
- 2. Breathe into the space: As you inhale, imagine the breath filling your container with calm, safe energy.
- 3. Exhale tension: As you exhale, imagine releasing anxiety and tension outside the container.
- 4. Strengthen the walls: With each breath, imagine the walls of your container becoming stronger and more protective.
- 5. Rest in safety: Spend a few minutes simply breathing and resting in this safe space.
Customize your container:
Your container might change based on what you need. Sometimes it's a protective fortress, sometimes a gentle embrace, sometimes a peaceful nature scene.
How to Use These Techniques in Daily Life
For Immediate Relief:
- • Start with extended exhale breathing (fastest effect)
- • Use 5-4-3-2-1 grounding when thoughts are racing
- • Try gentle shaking when you feel "stuck" with anxiety
- • Progressive muscle release for physical tension
For Prevention:
- • Practice container breathing each morning
- • Do body scans throughout the day to catch tension early
- • Build in regular movement to prevent buildup
- • Use extended exhale breathing before stressful situations
Building Your Personal Somatic Toolkit
Everyone's nervous system is different. What works powerfully for one person might feel neutral to another. The key is experimenting with these techniques to see which ones resonate with your body.
Creating your practice:
- • Start with one technique and practice it for a week before adding another
- • Notice which techniques feel most natural and effective for your body
- • Practice when you're calm so the techniques are available when you're anxious
- • Be patient with yourself - somatic skills develop over time with consistent practice
When to Seek Professional Support
Somatic techniques are powerful tools for managing anxiety, but they're most effective when combined with professional support, especially if your anxiety is severe or trauma-related.
A somatic therapist can help you develop a personalized approach to working with your nervous system and can provide guidance for processing underlying issues that may be contributing to anxiety.
Your Body's Wisdom
Your body isn't working against you when you feel anxious. It's trying to protect you based on information it's receiving. These somatic techniques help you communicate back to your nervous system that you're safe, allowing it to return to its natural state of calm.
Remember: anxiety is information from your body. These techniques help you receive that information without being overwhelmed by it, and respond with wisdom rather than reaction.
With practice, you'll develop a deeper relationship with your body's signals and a greater capacity to find calm in the midst of life's natural stresses.
Integration with the AERO Method
These somatic techniques integrate beautifully with the AERO Method for comprehensive anxiety management:
- • Awareness: Use body scanning to notice anxiety signals early
- • Emotional Regulation: Apply these somatic techniques to calm your nervous system
- • Reframing: Process thoughts once your body is regulated
- • Ownership: Take intentional action from a calm, embodied place
Develop Your Somatic Practice
Ready for a complete framework? Learn the AERO Method and discover how somatic techniques fit into comprehensive emotional regulation.
Want personalized support? Somatic therapy can help you develop a deeper relationship with your body's wisdom and create lasting change.
Ashley Jangro, LPCC
Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate specializing in somatic approaches to anxiety and trauma healing. Based in Castle Rock, Colorado, Ashley integrates body-based techniques with traditional therapy to help individuals develop lasting regulation skills and nervous system resilience.