How Your Body Holds Anxiety — and What to Do About It
If you’ve tried talking through your anxiety and it’s still there, your nervous system might be the missing piece.
You’ve probably noticed that anxiety isn’t just a thought. It’s a tight chest, shallow breathing, a knot in your stomach, restless legs, or that feeling of being constantly “on” even when nothing threatening is happening.
That’s because anxiety doesn’t just live in your mind. It lives in your body.
Why talking about it isn’t always enough
Talk therapy can be incredibly helpful for understanding your anxiety — where it comes from, what triggers it, how it shows up in your life. But sometimes, understanding it doesn’t make it stop.
That’s not a failure of therapy. It’s a clue that the anxiety is being held somewhere deeper than thoughts — in your nervous system.
When your body has learned to stay in a state of high alert (from past experiences, stress, trauma, or just years of pushing through), it doesn’t switch off just because your mind knows you’re safe. The body needs its own kind of conversation.
What somatic therapy does differently
Somatic therapy works with the body and the mind together. Instead of only talking about what’s happening, we also pay attention to what’s happening physically — in real time, during the session.
That might look like:
Noticing where tension lives — jaw, shoulders, chest, gut — and learning to soften it
Working with breath — not in a forced “breathe deeply” way, but gently reconnecting with your natural rhythm
Grounding exercises — helping your nervous system remember what safety actually feels like in the body
Movement — sometimes small, sometimes bigger — that helps release what’s been held
This isn’t about ignoring your thoughts or feelings. It’s about including the body in the healing process, because that’s where so much of anxiety actually sits.
Signs your anxiety might be a nervous system issue
If any of these feel familiar, your nervous system might be running the show:
You feel anxious even when you can’t identify a reason
Your body stays tense no matter how much you try to relax
Sleep is difficult — either falling asleep or staying asleep
You startle easily or feel on edge in situations that should feel safe
You’ve been told to “just calm down” and it never works
You feel disconnected from your body, like you’re going through the motions
These aren’t personal failings. They’re signs that your nervous system is stuck in a protective mode — and that’s something we can work with directly.
What to expect in a session
At Seed Psychotherapy, sessions are warm, grounded, and at your pace. There’s no pressure to do anything that doesn’t feel right. We talk, we notice, we work with what your body is telling us. Some sessions are more conversational. Some involve more body awareness and movement. It depends on what you need that day.
Sessions are available in person in Murwillumbah or via Zoom anywhere in Australia.
A starting point
If you’ve been managing anxiety for a long time and talking about it hasn’t been enough on its own, a body-centred approach might be the missing piece. It’s not about replacing what you’ve already tried — it’s about adding a layer that includes the whole of you.
Reach out here if you’d like to have a conversation about whether this approach might be a good fit.
Lucy Slater is a somatic psychotherapist and counsellor in Murwillumbah, NSW. She works with individuals and couples experiencing anxiety, trauma, depression, and relationship difficulties — in person and online across Australia.