Below are more (see previous blog post for additional exercises) simple, at‑home somatic practices to gently support your nervous system when anxiety or stress show up. None of these replace therapy, but many people find they create more steadiness, presence, and choice over time.

Progressive muscle tensing and softening

This practice helps you notice the difference between tension and ease in your body and can lower overall muscle tightness.

• Get into a comfortable position, sitting or lying down.

• Start with your feet: inhale and gently tense the muscles (not to the point of pain) for about 5–10 seconds.

• Exhale and let them fully relax, noticing the change.

• Move upward in sections—calves, thighs, seat, belly, hands, arms, shoulders, face—tensing on an in‑breath, releasing on an out‑breath.

If you’re short on time, just choose one or two areas where you tend to hold anxiety, like your shoulders or jaw.

The 4–4–6 calming breath with body awareness

Slow, slightly extended exhalations help shift the nervous system toward calm.

• Inhale gently through your nose for a count of 4.

• Hold the breath for a count of 4 (skip the hold if it feels uncomfortable).

• Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 6.

• As you breathe, keep some attention on one body area that feels relatively neutral or okay—your hands, your back against the chair, or your feet on the floor.

Repeat for 1–3 minutes, adjusting the numbers if needed so the breath still feels easy and sustainable.

Pendulating between tension and ease

This is a simplified, at‑home version of a Somatic Experiencing tool that helps your system learn it can move between activation and calm without getting stuck.

• First, notice one place in your body that feels stressed or activated (for example, tight chest or buzzing hands).

• Spend a few gentle breaths simply sensing that area—its size, shape, temperature—without trying to change it.

• Next, find a place that feels more neutral or even a little pleasant (maybe your feet, the back of your legs on the chair, or your hands resting in your lap).

• Shift your attention there for a few breaths, letting yourself soak in that more settled sensation.

• Slowly move your awareness back and forth between these two places, like a pendulum: a little time with the tension, a little time with the ease.

Whichever practices you try, go slowly, stay curious, and treat every sensation as information rather than a problem to fix right away. If you find that certain exercises increase your distress, it can be a sign to pause and consider working with a trained somatic therapist who can help you explore these tools with more support.