8 Physical Exercises to Relieve Anxiety and Stress

Breathwork helps reduce stress and anxiety. You know this. But the prospect of remaining still might not resonate with you if you want to expel those feelings from your body, rather than gain control over them from within. There are times when you want to turn inward—but if you’re very anxious, it can also potentially make you ruminate more. So it’s also OK to take that rage/stress/sorrow and blast it outwards with all of your might. In fact, there is a name for how you can use your body to physically regulate emotions: somatic exercises.

Somatic movement involves paying attention to what you’re feeling in your body—versus what you’re thinking—and moving accordingly.

Some somatic exercises might look odd—sticking your tongue out, waving your limbs, clenching and unclenching your firsts. Know this: doing something out of the norm can break a pattern and refocus your attention. Some of these techniques are also designed specifically to calm your nervous system, helping you move from a fight or flight (sympathetic) state to a “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) state. But really, “any movement can be somatic if you focus your attention on what you’re feeling in your body as you move,” Sarah Warren, the owner of Somatic Movement Center and author of The Pain Relief Secret, previously told Well+Good.

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So whether you want to do something low-key or get your physical ya-yas out, you’ve got stress-relieving options beyond taking a deep breath. Here are some somatic exercises worth trying:

1. A 1-minute somatic release

Does stress have you clenching your teeth and hiking up your shoulders? This physical manifestation of your emotions can make you feel even worse, or even cause headaches. Let that sh*t go! You just need sixty seconds in which you’ll unclench your jaw, relax your shoulders, shake your hands, roll your eyes, stick out your tongue, and—yes—breathe. Follow the step-by-step instructions for a somatic release exercise here.

2. Somatic yoga

This yoga practice might not look like it involves much movement, but trust us—you’ll be focusing on your body (and less on anxious thoughts). You’ll contract your muscles, and then integrate how they feel. For example, diaphragm breathing is a core engagement workout and a stress-reducer in one. Here are five somatic yoga flow moves for a calming and gentle workout.

3. Self-touch and tapping

Touching and rubbing your body can help muscles relax and send a signal to your brain that you are safe and comfortable, according to somatic practitioner and co-founder of Black Girls Breathing Jasmine Marie. In Marie’s tips on somatic exercises for depression, she suggests rubbing your chest in a circular motion “until the tension melts away.” You can also cover yourself with a blanket (or a weighted blanket) for an extra feeling of security.

In addition to rubbing and swaddling, you can also try a tapping method called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Some EFT research supports tapping at strategic points on your body. It targets the same points as acupuncture to help you let go of the thoughts crowding your mind. Here’s how you try EFT tapping on your own.

4. Walking

If you focus on putting one foot in front of the other, walking can be a moving meditation. Repetitive motions like running can also cause the critical thinking areas of your brain to quiet, lessening those anxious thoughts. Marie also suggests breathing through your nose and intentionally lengthening your inhales and exhales while moving for an extra meditative effect.

5. Somatic shaking

There’s a reason you might have an instinctual impulse to shake your hands or kick your legs when you’re stressed. “Shaking can activate our parasympathetic nervous system and signal our bodies to fully relax,” Jenelle Kim, acupuncturist and author of Myung Sung: The Korean Art of Living Meditation,  previously told Well+Good about shaking meditation for stress release. Simply shaking digits and limbs might feel great, but if you want some more guidance, here’s a shaking meditation you can follow to really help you let it out.

6. Running, jogging, or other cardio

Regularly doing cardio is a science-backed method for reducing anxiety over time. But it can make you feel good in the moment, too. After 30 minutes of heart-pumping movement, those endorphins will be flowing. Here’s a 20-minute beginner running workout if you don’t know where to begin. Want to take the stress relief to a whole other leve? You could also try a shadow boxing workout.

7. Dance

Dancing has the same cardio benefits as walking or spinning, with an added dose of joy. “Studies have shown that music and dance activate primal reward centers in the brain,” DanceBody founder Katia Pryce previously told Well+Good about the brain benefits of dance.

Here’s a joy-inducing dance workout to combat mental jitters with a primal sense of fun.

8. Yelling

Even if you can’t find a vent box nearby, screaming into the void can help release pent up feelings. “This practice will help move the upset out of your body and you’ll often feel some relaxation in the body afterwards,” Rev. Connie L. Habash, MA, LMFT, author of Awakening from Anxiety, previously told Well+Good about techniques for releasing trauma from the body. Simply put: If you feel like you need to scream, let it out.