A Somatic Practice to Calm Intense Worry and Fear in the Moment

Your instincts are spot on. When worry feels intense and overwhelming, you likely need more than positive thoughts and affirmations. If you’ve chronically struggled with anxiety, excessive worrying, obsessive, and/or compulsive thoughts, trying to do more thinking via affirmations might actually exacerbate the overwhelm and make you feel even more anxious.

( If you’re currently thinking something like, “YES! That’s exactly the case for me!” keep reading. 😉 )

What you might need when you want to calm intense feelings like worry is a somatic practice. You might benefit from dropping down into your body so that a.) your mind can have a rest and b.) your mind and body can re-establish a more harmonious and less battle-like relationship with each other. This is where somatic work comes in.

If you want to stop worrying so much and are feeling called to incorporate somatic practices into your life, you’ve landed in the right place!

What is Somatic Work?

The root of the word somatic is the Greek word soma, which means body. Somatic translates to “relating to the body” — and that is exactly what our intention is when we practice somatic work. The core essence of somatic practice is connecting more deeply to how we sense and experience life through our physical bodies. Somatic work can help you turn on and amplify your ability to sense, feel, and be more aware of what you are physically experiencing (a.k.a awareness). Once somatic awareness is established, your body can feel safe enough to release stored stress, tension, and trauma.

From a Somatic Lens, What is Worry?

If we apply a somatic lens to the feeling of worry, we need to talk about our amygdala. When your body perceives or experiences something as stressful, your amygdala (an almond-shaped network of cells inside the cerebral hemisphere of your brain) tells your adrenal glands to release the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which puts your body into a stress response. This stress response is a primal mechanism that is designed to help you to fight off danger and flee from harm.

When your body enters into this stress response, you feel the feelings of fear and worry that can get you to move away from and avoid said potential danger. So, when you feel intense feelings like worry and fear, a somatic practice that can tell your amygdala to chill out might be helpful so that you can release those stress hormones from your bonsy and feel more grounded, peaceful, and connected.

A Somatic Practice for Processing Intense Worry

Here is a practice to help you process intense feelings in the moment:

1.) Identify what you are feeling (i.e. worry)

2.) Identify how intensely you feel the emotion it on a scale of 0 — 10 (The purpose of this is for you to self-assess the effectiveness of this exercise for you)

3.) Locate where you are feeling the feeling in your body (i.e. worry in your stomach)

4.) Ask the feeling, “If you could speak, what would you say?” (You can speak it out loud, free write on it, or silently name it to yourself — whatever feels best)

5.) Lightly tap on your collarbones with your fingers as you affirm and validate your feelings. Not talking positive over it, but statements that affirm your experience (i.e. “It makes sense that I feel worried right now, because I am in the middle of something new and different. I am in the unknown and this worry is showing me that.”)

6.) Check back in ask yourself how much you are feeling the feeling on a scale of 0 — 10. You may notice the number has gone down. If not, repeat step 5 and 6.

7.) Once you you feel calmer and have processed the intense feelings, begin tapping on your collarbones again and recite positive, affirming statements (i.e. “Even though I am in new territory, I have done new things before and I can do them again. What if I am more successful that I ever thought? What if I grow an evolve more than I ever have before? What if I have every resource within and around me to do this successfully?” etc.)

Why This Practice Works

Tapping on your collarbones regulates your nervous system. Naming what you are feeling decreases the intensity of your emotions. Validating your experience softens any resistance you have to what you are experiencing. You may feel calmer, lighter, and more grounded after a few minutes of this practice, because you are calming the amygdala down and turning on your relaxation response.

How Somatic Work Can Help

Somatic work works by helping clients increase self-awareness of your body’s sensations (key for releasing repressed feelings) and gently moving or activating certain parts of the body to released stored tension and holding patterns. Guided movements, breathwork, emotional freedom technique (tapping), and even vocal expression can all allow the body to release adrenaline and cortisol safely from the body.

Want to Go Deeper?

If worry is something you struggle with often, this practice can be a powerful tool. If you’d like support with going deeper, I’d love to help. I offer grounded, intentional coaching to help sensitive, ambitious people move through fear and come home to themselves.

👉 Schedule a therapy consultation (if you live in Connecticut or New York) or a coaching consultation (if you live anywhere else) and begin the journey of learning live with greater freedom, peace, and authenticity.

With care,
Heather