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Humans have never been this (literally) plugged in to what’s going on at all times. Every news alert that pings your phone—from global events to natural disasters—distracts you from all your other everyday demands and expectations…as if those weren’t stress-inducing enough.
If it feels challenging trying to stay informed and keep up with life without feeling overwhelmed by stress, you’re not alone. The question is, how do you center yourself amid near-constant chaos?
How Movement Calms the Nervous System
Like all mammals, our nervous systems are designed to handle immediate danger. We see this all the time in the animal kingdom. A hawk swoops down to capture a rabbit and misses. The rabbit uses somatic movement by shaking its body to release adrenaline. Then it moves on. It doesn’t spend all day worrying about all the hawks in the world or the other rabbits being hunted.
But unlike most other mammals, humans worry about the past and future. Anxiety and anticipatory stress tend to overwhelm our nervous systems. Over time, this can negatively affect our health, with chronic stress linked to a wide range of psychological and physical issues, including depression, insomnia, anxiety, and heart disease.
The good news is we can help address dysregulation in the nervous system by letting go of pent-up emotions. How? The same way the rabbit does—by allowing stress to release through our bodies. All this requires is a few minutes of intentional movement.
5 Ways to Relieve Stress That Will Instantly Calm You Down
When everything starts to feel like it’s a little too much, these exercises can help calm your nervous system and leave you feeling more grounded.
1. Hands on Head
The beauty of this particular technique, borrowed from somatic experiencing therapy and sometimes called “Hold Your Brain,” is that you don’t need a lot of space to do it. You can practice it on the subway on your way to work just as easily as you can on your yoga mat before class.
How to: Sit or stand comfortably. Place the heel of your right hand against your forehead and gently rest your fingertips on your head. Place your left hand horizontally across the base of your skull. Stay here or apply very light pressure with both hands, as though you were hugging your head. If it’s comfortable, close your eyes. Pause here for 7 breaths.
2. Lying Down With Feet Pointing + Flexing
An important aspect of any somatic release is the practice of allowing the body to move without overthinking. This movement allows you to freely explore the different shapes your body wants to take as it’s supported by the floor.
How to: Lie on your back with your feet a comfortable distance apart and your arms resting at your sides. Flex and point your feet, allowing your back body to move up and down against the mat, couch, or bed. Your head may loll side to side; allow it to do so. Continue for 10 seconds, then pause. Repeat for 3 rounds.
3. Reclined Spinal Twist Flow
Yoga teacher Jill Miller teaches this movement, in which the aim is to let your body guide you from supine to prone and back again. You have to surrender to let your body fall to one side and then trust that you’ll catch yourself.
How to: Lie on your back. Bend your left knee and let your thigh move across the midline of your body toward the right side. The weight of your leg will begin to pull your hips and torso toward the right side. Keep the momentum going as you raise your left arm overhead and roll onto your tummy. Pause here.
To come out of it, reverse the flow starting with your upper body. Reach your left arm back toward the center, allowing your back, hips, and left leg to return to the starting position on your back. Repeat as many times as feels good, then switch sides.
4. Full-Body Shake
Shaking can seem out of control, but there is actually an art to it. If you start at your feet and work your way up your body, you can unleash an earthquake of stagnant energy. Don’t worry. The rumbling will quiet into stillness.
How to: Stand in a comfortable position with both feet firmly on the floor. Shake your lower legs, as if you could loosen your calf muscles from your legs. Now jiggle your thighs. Move in different directions—in and out and back and forth. Shake your glutes. Shake your entire lower body. Add your tummy and spine. Shake in all directions. Next, shake your arms. Start below your elbow and work your way up your entire arm. Finally, add your shoulders, neck, and head. Can you shake your whole body? Perhaps a sound will arise from inside of you. Allow it. When the shaking slows (which it naturally will), let your body slowly come back to stillness and observe the residual vibrations.
5. Arms Swinging
As a result of the stress response, we instinctively tighten our bodies—especially the hips, shoulders, and neck—as a means of protecting ourselves. This movement can help release that tension.
How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Let your arms hang by your sides. Keeping your feet planted, twist your upper body from side to side, allowing your arms to fly freely with the movement. Eventually, the momentum will carry your arms, so you don’t need to consciously move them. Twist for 15 seconds.
