Calming The Body For Emotional Regulation
Our emotions, mental state, and physical body are deeply and intrinsically connected. When we feel sad, angry, or happy, our bodies show it and, inversely, the state of our bodies can significantly influence our thoughts and emotions.
Historically, our bodies evolved a “fight-or-flight” response as a survival mechanism to deal with imminent danger. Our ancestors successfully handled frequent life-or-death situations because their bodies intuitively knew how to keep them safe. While our modern lives are filled with less frequent life-or-death situations, our brains and nervous systems haven’t quite caught up with our evolved culture. This can sometimes lead our bodies and emotions to react instinctively to stressors in ways that don’t always align with the actual situation. Many people that have experienced trauma may find their fight-or-flight response triggered more easily, leading to heightened emotional and physical reactions in everyday situations.
When we find ourselves in “fight-or-flight” mode and experience intense physical responses, certain parts of our brain shut down to focus on dealing with the perceived threat. The areas of the brain responsible for social cues, future thinking, and weighing pros and cons go offline so that we can concentrate all our energy on managing the threat. You can imagine how being in this state might make it difficult to handle situations like conflicts with your romantic partner, helping a child who is in mid-tantrum, or trying to take a test. Understanding that certain parts of our brain and body shut down when we are dysregulated can help us prioritize calming the body down before anything else.
Here are some examples of ways to calm your body down first:
When you’re short of breath, hyperventilating, or your heart is racing, try breathing exercises. Deep, controlled breathing exercises can signal to your body that it is safe enough for less survival-oriented systems to come back online.
When your muscles are tight, try stretching or giving yourself a gentle, soothing massage to release tension.
After an adrenaline-filled situation (out of fear or anger), try shaking your body as a way to get the excess energy out. This can be particularly helpful for individuals with a history of trauma, as it allows them to discharge the heightened energy associated with their fight-or-flight response.
When you are feeling depressed and having difficulties with low energy and fatigue, try slow and gentle movements to begin to wake your system up. This can be especially useful for trauma survivors who may experience periods of emotional numbness or dissociation.
These may seem like small changes, but they can deeply influence our mood and emotional well-being. By starting with the body, we increase our chances of responding the way we would like because more of our faculties are online. Even the tiniest tweaks in our physical state can set the stage for improved emotional stability, better decision-making, and a grounded response to stressors.
Taking a moment to focus on your body’s signals and addressing the body first, can be deeply impactful in our ability to embody our best selves. Practicing these body-oriented techniques regularly can help individuals, including trauma survivors, feel more empowered in managing their emotions and responding to life’s challenges with greater ease. By grounding ourselves through body-oriented techniques, we create a solid foundation for better emotional regulation and decision-making.
Our emotional and physical states are inherently intertwined, each influencing the other. Acknowledging this relationship and taking deliberate steps to take care of our bodies can have a transformative impact on our mental health journey, particularly for individuals with a history of trauma who may benefit from more body-oriented work. By embracing practices such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and gentle movement, we equip ourselves with powerful tools to navigate life’s ups and downs with resilience.
This Post Written By:
Stephanie Otte, LPC – Journeys Counseling Center
6516 S. Rural Road, Suite 101
Tempe, Arizona 85283
Phone: (480) 656-0500
Email: stephanie@journeyscounselingaz.com
