How to Heal Your Nervous System from Anxiety
Anxiety can feel like a constant storm within the body—racing thoughts, a pounding heart, shallow breath, and an unshakable sense of unease. As a somatic experiencing (SE) practitioner, I see these signs as the body’s way of asking for help. Anxiety is not just “in your head”; it lives in the nervous system, which often gets stuck in a state of hypervigilance or dysregulation due to stress or past trauma.
The good news is that nervous system healing is possible. By working with the body instead of against it, we can restore balance, build resilience, and reduce anxiety. In this blog, I’ll share how somatic experiencing views anxiety, why the nervous system plays a central role, and gentle, body-based practices to support healing.
What Is the Role of the Nervous System in Anxiety?
Our nervous system is designed to be fluid and congruent with our thoughts, emotions and current circumstance. It is designed to be able to shift into deep relaxed states as well as protect us by being able to fight or escape dangerous or threatening situations. It operates on a survival-based hierarchy, continually shifting between three primary states:
The calm, connected state (ventral vagal): This is where we feel safe, relaxed, and socially engaged. This is where we rest and optimally digest our food.
The fight-or-flight state (sympathetic activation): When danger is perceived, the body mobilizes with energy to fight or flee. This is where our heart rate accelerates and where we can feel strong intense emotions.
The freeze or shutdown state (dorsal vagal): If escape feels impossible, the body may “freeze” to conserve energy and protect itself. freeze occurs when the fight-or-flight state is too overwhelming for the nervous system, so underneath freeze is always fight or flight energy in the nervous system.
Anxiety often stems from being stuck in the fight-or-flight state. Instead of cycling back to calm after a stressor passes, the nervous system remains activated and alert. This chronic activation creates the physical and emotional symptoms we associate with anxiety.
How Somatic Experiencing Facilitates Nervous System Healing
Somatic experiencing (SE) focuses on helping the nervous system release stored tension, complete unresolved survival impulses, and find its way back to regulation. Instead of trying to “think” our way out of anxiety, SE practitioners work directly with the body, allowing it to express incomplete protective or defensive responses, express thwarted impulses, and metabolize trapped emotions, all of which will enable you to return to a sense of calm and safety. to learn more about somatic experiencing and to start healing click here.
Here are some SE principles and practices that’s healing your nervous system:
1. Track Sensations in the Body
Anxiety often feels overwhelming because it’s vague and all-encompassing. Tracking physical sensations—like tightness in the chest, a fluttery stomach, or trembling hands—might sound counterintuitive to literally focus on the very sensation that is making you feel uneasy. Oftentimes focusing on the sensation helps anchor you in the present moment. Gently noticing these sensations without judgment allows the nervous system to process and release stored energy. It is one of the foundational skills on how to heal your nervous system.
Practice:
Sit quietly and tune into your body.
Ask yourself: “What do I feel right now?”
Name the sensations: “I feel heat in my face” or “I notice a heaviness in my chest.”
Breathe slowly as you simply observe the sensations without trying to change them. Allow yourself to get curious about the sensations and what happens to them as you focus on them.
2. Pendulation: Moving Between Safety and Activation
When we’re anxious, it can feel like we’re stuck in activation. Pendulation is a somatic technique that involves moving back and forth between distress or what is unpleasant and calm or what is pleasant. This can be done with sensations in the body or what is present in your awareness. This actually teaches the nervous system that it’s safe to return to balance.
Practice:
Recall a time when you felt safe, supported, or relaxed. This could be a memory of being in nature or feeling held by a loved one.
Hold that memory in your mind and notice how it feels in your body.
Then, gently bring awareness to your anxiety or stress, noticing where it shows up physically.
Move your attention back to the feeling of safety, and repeat this back-and-forth process a few times.
Try and stay with the safe, supported, relaxed and pleasant experience longer.
3. Orient to the Present
Anxiety often pulls us into the future with “what if” worries. Orienting is a simple SE technique that helps bring us back into the here and now by engaging with our surroundings.
Practice:
Look around the room and name five things you see.
Notice details: the texture of the walls, the color of the furniture, or the way light falls across a surface.
Pay attention to your breath as you do this.
This process reminds your nervous system that you are safe at this moment.
4. Allow for Discharge
When the body is stuck in a fight-or-flight state, it may need to release pent-up energy. You might notice trembling, deep sighs, or even spontaneous movements during somatic work. This is the body’s natural way of completing the stress response cycle and returning to regulation.
Practice:
If you feel your body shaking or trembling, let it happen.
Stay present with the sensation, breathing deeply, and reassuring yourself: “This is my body releasing stress.”
Notice how you feel after the discharge—lighter, calmer, or more settled.
Signs Your Nervous System Is Healing
Healing is a gradual process, but with time, you may notice small yet meaningful shifts. You might find it easier to relax, breathe more deeply, and recover more quickly from stress. Your sleep improves, emotions feel more manageable, and triggers that once overwhelmed you have less impact. You may also experience spontaneous releases like sighing, trembling, or stretching—your body’s way of letting go of stored tension.
A key sign of healing is a growing sense of safety and connection, both within yourself and in relationships. As your nervous system becomes more regulated, you may feel more present, playful, and able to experience joy. Healing isn’t linear, but every step forward is a sign that your body is finding its way back to balance.
Healing can be swift and quick
If you’re struggling with anxiety, know that your nervous system isn’t broken—it’s just stuck in a state and doesn’t realize that the danger is over. With compassion, patience, and body-based practices like somatic experiencing, you can begin healing anxiety and over thinking a lot faster then you may realize.
As a practitioner, I’ve seen people move from feeling trapped by their anxiety to experiencing more peace, ease, and connection in their lives. It starts with small steps—learning to listen to your body, being with the body’s sensations, trusting its wisdom, giving it the time and space to heal while incorporating somatic practices. These are skills that create sustainable lasting change oftentimes quicker than traditional talk therapy. Somatic methods quickly show signs your nervous system is healing.
Your body wants to heal. And when you learn how to work with it, rather than against it, incredible transformation is possible.
Brianna Anderson, SEP
If you’re ready to begin your healing journey I’m here to help so you can begin to live the life of your dreams
My private practice specializes in helping people who have endured trauma, resolve the symptoms out of their body, mind & spirit so they can feel comfortable in their skin, find inner peace and live the desires of their heart.
I am based out of South Orange County, Ca and offer online therapy sessions. Whether you are just starting your healing journey or ready to try something new, I am here to help.
Is trauma Holding you back?
Perhaps you experienced a specific event that left you feeling different, disconnected, or stuck. Or maybe you carry a sense of unease in your body, struggling with anxiety or a feeling that something isn’t quite right.
As a somatic experiencing practitioner I specialize in helping people process and release stored trauma through gentle yet effective methods.
Download my FREE guide “Get Unstuck! The Truth About Body Trauma and How to Break Free’ and learn how to create the future you deserve.