Somatic Resources for Anxiety and Life Transitions
Anxiety is a common experience during life transitions. Transitions often go hand-in-hand with stressors—increased external demands, tension in relationships and uncertainty. These stressors can lead to waves of anxiety, which may feel overwhelming at times. Stress management can reduce anxiety, increase feelings of being grounded and focused, and generally smooth transitions.
Stress management involves regulating the nervous system. Regulating means bringing the two branches of the autonomic nervous system into balance. These two branches are responsible for survival (fight, flight, freeze), and social engagement (rest and digest). A healthy nervous system responds congruently with the environment, and the person is able to mobilize in the face of danger and then return to rest once the danger has passed.
A variety of life experiences can jangle or damage the nervous system. Often the fight, flight, freeze side of the equation gets revved up and stays revved up. Fight, flight and freeze responses are mobilized when there is no need to run, fight or hide. The body doesn’t know the difference between something that doesn't pose a physical threat, such as a disagreement or a bounced check, and something that does, such as being chased by a lion. A set of responses that is adaptive and useful when escaping sharp teeth is anything but helpful when trying to navigate relationships or problem solve. This mismatch is the physiological experience of anxiety.
On the other hand, A healthy, self-regulating nervous system is the physiological basis for the experience of ease. Thus, healing and supporting the nervous system is the process for decreasing anxiety. Somatic resources do just that. Somatic resources are tools and practices that engage the body and work directly with the nervous system. They include, broadly, breath, movement and awareness. The following suggestions incorporate each of these.
Walking is a somatic resource that is available to many of us almost anywhere. It deepens the breath and increases circulation. It engages large muscles, evoking a sense of grounding. The rhythm of footsteps can be soothing, and often walking creates physical distance from the stressor. Moving the body can take you of your head and away from repetitive thoughts. Try walking around the block when you feel stuck on a project or have just had a stressful interaction. Notice how you feel before, during and after the walk. Take it a step (ha!) further, and integrate walking into your weekly or daily routine. Consider walking in nature as often as possible, at least a few times a month. Wherever you are, pay attention to how your inner state, and especially anxiety levels, shift before, during and after the walk.
Deep breaths are tried and true. The breath tightens in the “fight, flight, freeze” state. Shifting your breath lets your body know that there’s no physical threat, no need to mobilize. Start by noticing how you are breathing. If you’re feeling anxious, your breath is probably shallow, and it may be fast or uneven. It may feel like you’re not breathing at all. Often, just noticing this type of breathing naturally brings a deeper breath. Keep paying attention. Notice where the breath flows, and where it is a little tighter. Try not to judge how you are breathing, since judgment can increase anxiety. Now, gently deepen your breath. Play with noticing the natural pauses between inhale and exhale. Play with extending the out-breath. Notice, deepen, play. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.
Move in awareness. Yoga, dance, martial arts, sports and exercise all provide spaces where the focus is on movement and the body. Awareness of movement necessarily includes awareness of breath. This sort of focus on the body and breath can bring you out of your head. With your focus elsewhere, you can take a break from the constricted thought patterns that often accompany anxiety. Before starting your movement practice, take a quick inventory of how you feel. Track any shifts during the practice. And then just in again when you are done. Extend your awareness into how you move throughout the day, and notice how that impacts your experience and mood.
Positive relationships are another somatic resource. As social creatures, we interact on many levels, including nervous system to nervous system. In these (largely unconscious) interactions we co-regulate. A calm body can help a less calm body settle. Without trying, we can “borrow” the nervous system of another person to help bring our own nervous system back into regulation. We can be settled and soothed. This is a resource, and we can tap into it by intentionally connecting with people who help us feel safe. We can support our body’s natural capacity for accessing this kind of resource by paying attention to it happening. Notice deep breaths that happen during supportive conversations. Notice the sense of relief you feel when you sense that someone is hearing you. Taking time to take this kind of experience in helps your system re-learn that these feelings of spaciousness, calm and safety are possible.