How to Calm Your Nervous System: Somatic Tools to Ease Stress, Anxiety & Trauma

Learn evidence-informed somatic tools to calm a dysregulated nervous system. Embodied Wellness & Recovery guides you through breath, movement, grounding, and neuroscience.

A Nervous System Under Strain

Do you ever feel like your body is running on overdrive, heart pounding, muscles tight, mind racing, even when nothing obvious is happening? Or perhaps triggers from past trauma leave you stuck in hypervigilance or shutdown? Many people struggle with a dysregulated nervous system, especially when unresolved trauma still courses through their physiology.

That chronic internal tension often shows up in stress, anxiety, disrupted relationships, intimacy challenges,  and emotional overwhelm. But your nervous system is not a rigid machine; it’s plastic, responsive, and capable of repair. In this article, we’ll explore somatic tools (body-based practices) grounded in neuroscience and trauma therapy, offering concrete ways to settle your system and recover your sense of safety and connection.

At Embodied Wellness & Recovery, we specialize in nervous system repair, trauma resolution, relational healing, and embodied sexuality and intimacy. Let us walk you through effective, grounded practices you can begin using today.

Why Somatic Tools? The Science Behind the Approach

Trauma, the Body, and Neural Patterns

When trauma (big T or small t) becomes lodged in the body, it often gets expressed—not in words, but in physiology. The brain and body are deeply intertwined: bodily states influence emotional and cognitive patterns, and vice versa (the “brain-body connection”)

Somatic therapy begins from the premise that the body holds experience. In contrast to therapies that engage primarily the mind (e.g., cognitive therapies), somatic work tunes into emergent sensations, tension, subtle tremors, and interoceptive awareness (the sense of what’s going on inside the body). 

One influential modality, Somatic Experiencing® (SE®), works by gradually “renegotiating” implicit trauma responses in the nervous system without forcing full re-experiencing. Rather than pushing you into overwhelm, SE helps generate corrective interoceptive experiences that challenge the patterns of helplessness or hyperarousal encoded in your system 

Somatic approaches also harness neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to rewire itself, so that new, healthier patterns of regulation can take root over time.

Recognizing Dysregulation: What Your Body Is Trying to Say

Before diving into tools, it helps to tune your awareness to signs that your nervous system is out of balance. Ask yourself:

     — Do you feel chronically on edge, keyed up, or restless?
    — Do you experience waves of anxiety, panic, or a sense of being unsafe in your own skin?
    — Do you sometimes “freeze,” shut down, detach, or feel numb?
     — Do interpersonal or sexual intimacy situations trigger tension, dissociation, over-reactivity, or shutdown?

     — Do you hold persistent muscle tension, headaches, digestive issues, or difficulty sleeping?

These are not mere inconveniences; they're signals from your nervous system. Wounds from unresolved trauma often leave fault lines in your physiology that need gentle repair, not forceful suppression.

Somatic Tools to Calm & Repair (Beginner to Intermediate)

Below are evidence-informed somatic practices you can explore. Use them gently, experiment, and adjust to your current capacity. These are not “quick fixes” but bridges into deeper regulation and nervous system resilience.

1. Breath and the Physiological Sigh

One of the most direct ways to reset the autonomic nervous system is through intentional breathing. A physiological sigh (two quick inhales followed by a longer exhale) is built into mammals and can quiet hyperarousal.

Other effective breath tools include:

     — Box breathing (inhale-hold-exhale-hold, e.g. 4-4-4-4) 

     — 4-7-8 breathing (inhale 4 sec, hold 7, exhale 8)

     — Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing, placing one hand on the abdomen, the other on the chest, and emphasizing slow, full belly expansion 

Over time, these patterns can engage the parasympathetic system (the rest-and-digest branch), reducing fight-or-flight reactivity.

2. Grounding & Sensory Anchors

When your system is in reactivity, orienting through sensory input helps restore stability.

     — 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise: Name 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste (or internal).

     — Cold water /splash face / cold compress (activates the mammalian dive reflex) 

     — Touch, gentle self-holding, or the “butterfly hug” (cross arms and lightly tap alternately)

     — Scan your body: shift attention slowly through body regions, noticing tension, warmth, tingling, and release (body scan)

These sensory anchors help the nervous system remember: safety is possible.

3. Movement, Tremor & Shaking

One often underestimated tool is movement, or biological tremoring, which allows the body to shake, shimmy, or release stored charge.

     — Gentle stretching or somatic yoga with attention to inner sensation (not forcing) 

     — Shaking or free form movement: wiggle hands, shake legs, dance with soft intention to let energy discharge

     — Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): sequentially tense and release muscle groups, noticing contrast between contraction and relaxation 

     — Mindful walking: slow, attentive steps, paying attention to sensations in feet, legs, posture, horizon, air on skin 

The goal: help the nervous system shift from hyperactivation to regulated engagement.

4. Pendulation & Titration (Somatic Principles)

Somatic therapies often use pendulation, alternating gentle movement between states of activation and ease, and titration, which is gradual exposure to sensation to avoid overwhelm. These strategies allow you to approach trauma or discomfort at the edge, with incremental steps, rather than collapsing or flooding. 

In practice, you might gently allow a faint sensation of anxiety or tension, then shift attention to a sense of solidity, support, or calm, and oscillate between them until the system becomes more flexible.

5. Co-regulation & Safe Relational Contact

Your nervous system is social by design. Connection with someone calm and attuned can help co-regulate your state.

     — Share presence: Sit quietly with someone whose presence feels steady. Let your breath softly sync.
    — Gentle touch or holding (if safe and appropriate)
    — Voice, humming, or soft vocalization (hum, sing, toning); vibrations feed into the vagal network and support parasympathetic activation

These relational practices can feel supportive, especially when solo tools feel too thin.

A Sample Micro Practice You Can Try

1. Sit comfortably (or lie down) with your hands resting on your body.

2. Begin diaphragmatic breathing: inhale for 4, exhale for 6, eyes softly closed.

3. After 4–6 breaths, shift into 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, naming your sensory environment.

4. If you feel activation (tingle, heat, tension), allow micro-movement or soft shaking in the limbs for 30 seconds.

5. Return to breath, noticing your system’s response.

6. Optionally, hum or softly vocalize as you exhale.

Even a 3-minute practice like this can interrupt cycles of reactivity and guide you back toward safety.

From Self-Practice to Deep Repair (When You’re Ready)

These tools are foundational; they offer entry points to somatic awareness and regulation. But for more profound nervous system healing, partnership with a skilled trauma-informed clinician accelerates and stabilizes the process.

At Embodied Wellness & Recovery, we weave together:

     — Somatic therapy
    — EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
    — Attachment-based and relational therapy
     — Specific work around sexuality, intimacy, and relational boundaries

We understand how dysregulation interacts with relationship patterns and the nervous system,  and we hold space for safely exploring trauma without retraumatization.

With guidance, you can move from survival mode toward flexible regulation, a state in which intimacy, pleasure, vulnerability, and trust can reemerge.

Hope, Consistency, and the Way Forward

A dysregulated nervous system does not have to define your life. Though trauma may have shaped your default tendencies, your physiology is adaptive and can be retrained. Over weeks and months of consistent, safe somatic practice, you may notice:

     — Less reactivity (emotional outbursts, sudden tension)
     — Greater ability to self-soothe
    — More capacity for closeness, trust, and relational safety
    — More restful sleep, ease in your body, smoother regulation across daily life

This is not about perfection. It’s about gradual rewiring, incremental restoration, and reclaiming more of your embodied self.

Closing Words

If you feel called to more than self-practice, and you want a therapeutic partnership attuned to your history, body, relationships, and goals, Embodied Wellness & Recovery is here to support you. Our clinicians are steeped in trauma, somatic, and relational modalities. We support nervous system repair, relational healing, sexual and intimacy exploration, and resilient flourishing.

Start where you are. Breathe gently. Move subtly. Listen inward. And know: your system can learn new rhythms, new safety signals, new contours of trust.

Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consultation with our team of therapists, trauma specialists, somatic practitioners, or relationship experts, and begin the process of reconnecting with your life force energy today.

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References

Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel-Porat, V., Lerner, K., & Krammer, N. (2017). Interoceptive awareness in Somatic Experiencing. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 155. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00155 (discussed in broader review) PMC

Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
(Referenced indirectly through Somatic Experiencing theory) PMC+1

Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane‐Gillies, J. (2015). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company. (underpins somatic, titration, corrective interoceptive experience concepts) PMC

Anxiety in the Body: How to Release Nervous System Energy Before You Can Truly Relax

Discover why extreme anxiety makes it so difficult to calm down and meditate. Learn how up-regulating practices like movement and sound discharge nervous system energy, making space for soothing practices such as breathwork, yoga, and meditation to restore balance.

Why Can’t I Just Calm Down?

When anxiety takes hold, it can feel impossible to settle. You may sit down to meditate, breathe deeply, or practice yoga, only to find your body is buzzing, your thoughts are racing, and your restlessness only grows. Instead of feeling calmer, you feel trapped inside a storm of activation.

Do you ever wonder: Why can’t I just relax? Why does my body feel hijacked by anxiety no matter how hard I try?

The truth is that anxiety is not only in the mind. It is a full-body experience, a surge of energy in the nervous system that needs an outlet before true calm can arrive. Understanding this process through the lens of neuroscience and somatic regulation is the key to learning how to soothe anxiety effectively.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we help clients recognize what state their nervous system is in and respond with practices that truly fit the moment. By aligning body, mind, and relationship, we guide people toward lasting nervous system repair and emotional resilience.

The Neuroscience of Anxiety: When the Sympathetic Nervous System Takes Over

Anxiety is the body’s way of preparing for threat. When your nervous system senses danger, whether real or perceived, the sympathetic branch activates:

     — The amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) signals danger
    — Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood your system
    — Heart rate increases, muscles tense, breath quickens

This “fight or flight” response is adaptive if you need to act quickly, but when it is triggered chronically, your body becomes flooded with activation and has nowhere to release it. That’s why sitting still and forcing calm rarely works. Your body isn’t ready for down-regulation yet.

Why Traditional Relaxation Can Backfire

Have you ever tried to meditate while your heart is racing? Or practice deep breathing while your body feels restless and shaky? Instead of feeling soothed, you may end up more agitated.

This happens because:

     — Suppression doesn’t work. Forcing stillness ignores the body’s need to release activation.
    — Energy needs an outlet. Without release, the nervous system stays stuck in sympathetic arousal.
    — Relaxation feels unsafe. When your body is still flooded with adrenaline, slowing down can actually feel threatening rather than soothing.

The key is not to force calm but to complete the cycle, allowing the body to discharge the activation first.

The Pressure Valve: Up-Regulation Before Down-Regulation

Think of your body like a pressure cooker. Anxiety is the steam building up inside. If you try to clamp the lid down tighter with meditation or stillness, the pressure only increases. But if you open the valve—giving the energy a way out—the nervous system can reset.

Up-Regulating Practices: Releasing Energy

Before moving into calming practices, the body often needs movement or sound to discharge activation. Examples include:

     — Shaking out your limbs
     — Dancing to rhythmic music
    — Going for a brisk run or walk
    — Humming, chanting, or singing
     — Vigorous breathwork (e.g., Breath of Fire)

These practices provide the nervous system with a release, helping reduce the “buzz” of sympathetic arousal.

Down-Regulating Practices: Restoring Calm

Once the energy has moved through, your body is ready to enter a state of restoration. Now, soothing practices can take effect:

     — Slow, diaphragmatic breathing
     — Gentle guided meditation or visualization
     — Yin or restorative yoga
    — Progressive muscle relaxation
    — Soft humming or lengthened exhalations

Instead of trying to force calm on a nervous system still flooded with energy, these practices now land deeply, helping the body shift into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” state.

The Key Is Discernment

The most important skill in regulating anxiety is discernment, noticing what state your nervous system is in and responding accordingly. Ask yourself:

      — Am I feeling restless, buzzing, or trapped with energy?
➡️ Then I likely need up-regulation and movement.
      — Am I feeling depleted, exhausted, or flat?
➡️ Then I may benefit more from down-regulation and soothing.

By tuning in to these signals, you learn to respond with what your body truly needs, rather than forcing practices that don’t align with your current state.

Questions to Consider

     — What happens in your body when anxiety peaks: racing heart, shallow breath, restlessness?
    — Do you notice trying to force calm when your body is still in overdrive?
    — What up-regulating practices have you tried that help release energy before you settle?

Nervous System Repair at Embodied Wellness and Recovery

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery,  we see anxiety not as a flaw but as a full-body survival response. Our work integrates:

     — Trauma-informed therapy to uncover root triggers
    — Somatic practices to release stored activation
    — EMDR and neuroscience-backed approaches to rewire stress responses
    — Relational repair to restore intimacy and trust in connection

By combining these methods, we guide clients from a place of anxious overdrive toward nervous system balance, resilience, and authentic presence.

From Stuck to Balanced

Anxiety is not simply a mental battle; it is a physiological experience of the nervous system. When energy is stuck, the body cannot simply be forced into calm. By learning to first release activation through up-regulating practices and then soothing with down-regulating ones, you can guide your nervous system back to equilibrium.

The next time anxiety surges, instead of asking yourself, How can I suppress this? But instead, what outlet does my body need right now? This shift can transform anxiety from an endless loop into an opportunity for nervous system repair and a deeper connection to yourself.

Contact us today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation with our team of somatic practitioners, trauma specialists,  and relationship experts and begin your journey toward embodied connection, clarity, and confidence. 

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr. ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References

Eisenberger, N. I., & Cole, S. W. (2012). Social Neuroscience and Health: Neurophysiological Mechanisms Linking Social Ties to Physical Health. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 669–674. 

LeDoux, J. (2015). Anxious: Using the brain to understand and treat fear and anxiety. Viking.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.