Body Based Ways to Get Rid of Stress
Here are 8 practical ways to practice body based skills that work to soothe the sympathetic nervous system (Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn Survival Mode).
1. Deep Breathing - deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth (try a set of 3-5 at a time)
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation - a method that helps relieve that tension. In progressive muscle relaxation, you tense a group of muscles as you breathe in, and you relax them as you breathe out. You work on your muscle groups in a certain order. When your body is physically relaxed, you are reducing anxiety.
3. Chewing Gum or having a snack/meal– doing this activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which interrupts the survival mode “fight, flight, freeze, fawn” response.
4. Aerobic Exercise – just enough to get your heart rate up and break a small sweat (this temporarily “shuts up” the stress response of our nervous system).
5. Grounding Techniques to try to get you more in the present moment and tell your survival brain that you are currently safe. What can I see, touch, taste, smell, hear?
6. Butterfly/Tarzan tapping - place your hands, palms down, on your chest, interlocking your thumbs in a shape that resembles a butterfly. Then, you slowly tap one hand after the other near your shoulders or on your collarbone.
7. Cold exposure- place an ice pack on your upper chest or stand under a cold shower for one minute.
8. Gentle shaking - By shaking your body for 5-7 minutes, you can calm your body after a long day. Shaking activates the parasympathetic nervous system and signals the brain to calm, relax and let go. Shaking also activates the lymphatic system of our body, which helps our body get rid of the toxins. There is no wrong way to shake. Try shaking meditation, stand with your feet hip-width apart and soften your knees and drop your shoulders. Begin shaking and feeling the bounce through your knees and let the vibration spread to your arms and shoulders. Try to shake your entire body with little trembles and full body shakes. You can even play some music if you want while trying this skill.
If you would like to learn more about ways to get rid of stress through soothing your body, we have many amazing therapists at Nourish who can provide you with one-on-one support.
