From TIME · Angela Haupt · · 2m
Shake off stress in under a minute
A simple body movement called somatic shaking can help loosen tension and interrupt anxious thoughts without equipment or time.
In brief
A simple body movement called somatic shaking can help loosen tension and interrupt anxious thoughts without equipment or time. Somatic shaking, a gentle body movement taking under a minute, helps relieve stress by loosening tense muscles and redirecting anxious thoughts. Originally reported by TIME.
Quick answers
- What is somatic shaking?
- Somatic shaking is a stress-management exercise where you gently shake your hands, arms and legs. It takes a minute or less, requires no equipment, and may help loosen tense muscles and ease anxious thoughts.
- What is the key takeaway from Shake off stress in under a minute?
- Somatic shaking, a gentle body movement taking under a minute, helps relieve stress by loosening tense muscles and redirecting anxious thoughts.
What is somatic shaking?
Somatic shaking is a stress-management exercise where you gently shake your hands, arms and legs. It takes a minute or less, requires no equipment, and may help loosen tense muscles and ease anxious thoughts.
How tension builds in your body
When you replay arguments or worry about upcoming events, your body tightens.Your jaw clenches, shoulders raise, and neck stiffens.
Shaking interrupts rumination
The movement gives your mind something else to focus on instead of mentally rewriting emails or replaying conversations.
“I've got some ability to do something. I don't have to just sit here and suffer.”
How to start shaking
Stand comfortably with feet on the floor or sit in a chair.Let your hands hang loosely and give them a gentle shake like flicking off water.
Add your legs to the movement
If comfortable, loosen one leg and then the other, holding a chair or wall for support if standing.If sitting, try small foot taps instead.Keep your eyes open, head and neck steady, and breathe normally.
“This isn't something where you have to be aggressive. You're not throwing your arms.”
Keep it gentle and realistic
Lisa George, a psychiatric and family nurse practitioner and founder of Talk Tribeca Psychiatry in New York, likens somatic shaking to an active form of stretching.
Notice how you feel afterward
After a brief shake, stop and notice whether your shoulders are lower, your hands less clenched, or the conversation in your head quieter.You might feel calmer, unchanged, or more energized.
“If it feels good, great. And if it doesn't feel good, then stop.”
Use it between stressful moments
You do not have to save shaking for the end of a terrible day.Try it between tasks, after a tense phone call, or once you are somewhere comfortable following an appointment you have been dreading.
Release pent-up energy
Morgan Starr-Riestis, a therapist in Honolulu, did a quick shake beside her car after a trip to the dentist.
“You just kind of allow that pent-up energy to feel like it has a place to go, so you're not carrying it around.”
The stillness after matters most
After shaking, leave yourself a moment to be still.Take a breath, notice how you feel, and give yourself a chance to settle before checking your phone or opening the next email.
“The stillness after that is really, I think, the more important part.”
The takeaway
Somatic shaking, a gentle body movement taking under a minute, helps relieve stress by loosening tense muscles and redirecting anxious thoughts.
