Softening Body Tension with Anxiety- Exercise

6 snips

Jul 18, 2025

Explore how anxiety manifests as physical tension in the body, often unnoticed. Discover transformative skills to process emotions and manage stress effectively. Engage in a soothing, 3-minute mindfulness meditation designed to lower cortisol levels and promote relaxation. Learn to tune into your body, soften tight areas, and activate your calming parasympathetic nervous system. This guided practice offers a quick reset to ease tension and enhance your well-being.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Mind-Body Feedback Loop

The mind and body are connected in a feedback loop, influencing each other continuously.
Softening body tension signals safety to the brain, activating relaxation responses.

ADVICE

Settle and Breathe Mindfully

Settle into a comfortable position and slow your breathing by allowing your belly to rise with gentle inhales and exhale slowly.
Use this mindful breathing to begin calming your nervous system without forcing deep breaths.

ADVICE

Soften Body Tension Mindfully

Notice tight or tense areas in your body with curiosity and without judgment.
Imagine warmth flowing into those areas as you breathe in and the tension melting away as you breathe out.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Anxiety can make you feel tense, tight, or have other bodily symptoms. In this exercise, learn to soften and relax that tension. Check out the FREE grounding Skills course

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, body tension, or racing thoughts? This 3-minute mindfulness meditation is designed to gently calm your nervous system and release physical tension caused by stress and anxiety. When we’re anxious, we often hold tightness in our jaw, shoulders, chest, or stomach—without even realizing it. In this guided exercise, you’ll practice mindfulness by tuning into your body, softening tension, and using your breath to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Even a few minutes of this calming meditation can lower cortisol levels, reduce your heart rate, and help your body feel safe again. Whether you're new to meditation for anxiety or just need a quick reset, this practice helps bring awareness and peace to your body and mind. Ease body tension and anxiety in just 3 minutes with this mindfulness meditation. Relax, breathe, and reset with simple movements and soothing awareness. #mindfulness #Meditation #AnxietyRelief #BodyTensionAnxiety #mindfulnessforanxiety

Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com

Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell

Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.