Stress and Anxiety: A Somatic and Herbal Approach to Resilience

Stress and anxiety are natural parts of life, but when they become chronic, they can disrupt our well-being, decision-making, and capacity for joy. Many people try to “manage” stress through sheer willpower, numbing out, or avoiding discomfort, but true resilience comes from understanding and attuning to your body’s signals.

As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, yoga educator, and herbalist with a background in mental health and addiction recovery, I approach stress and anxiety not as problems to be solved but as invitations to deepen our self-awareness and capacity for presence. By working with the nervous system and incorporating herbal allies, we can shift from reactivity to responsiveness—creating more space for clarity, nourishment, and ease.

Your Body’s Response to Stress

Your nervous system is constantly assessing safety. When you experience stress, your body activates the sympathetic nervous system—the classic “fight or flight” response. While this is necessary for short-term survival, chronic activation leads to tension, fatigue, digestive issues, and emotional overwhelm. Activation itself isn’t to be avoided, the sympathetic response motivates us to complete important tasks and make clear decisions.

In contrast, the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” state, allows for recovery, creativity, and connection.

Your nervous system will naturally move between activation and resting states. Stress and anxiety start being disruptive when you’re stuck in sympathetic or parasympathetic or moving so quickly between you feel tired and wired.

The key to managing stress isn’t eliminating it but increasing our capacity to shift between these states fluidly. This is where Somatic Attunement comes in.

Somatic Practices to Regulate Anxiety

Somatic practices help us cultivate a felt sense of safety, restoring the nervous system’s ability to self-regulate. Here are three foundational techniques:

1. Tracking Sensation

Rather than suppressing anxiety, begin by noticing it with curiosity. Where do you feel tension? Is it tightness in your chest, heat in your face, or a fluttering in your stomach? Naming the sensation shifts it from an overwhelming emotion to a tangible experience that can be worked with.

Try this: Feel the support of gravity, move your toes or sit back in your chair, and scan your body. See if you can notice the smallest shift in sensation without judgment.

2. Orienting to the Environment

When anxiety takes over, we often become trapped in our thoughts. Orienting brings us back to the present by engaging with our surroundings.

Try this: Turn your head slowly and take in what’s around you. Notice what you see, let your ears pick up subtle sounds that you hear. Notice how your clothing lands on your skin.

Orienting places your attention outside of you, in the here and now.

3. Pendulation (Titrating Between Comfort and Discomfort)

Pendulation is a somatic practice of moving between a feeling of discomfort and a sense of safety. Instead of diving headfirst into stress, you gently bring awareness to both tension and ease, allowing your nervous system to build capacity over time.

Try this: Feel into a place of tension, then shift your attention to a part of your body that feels more neutral or pleasant. Go back and forth a few times, noticing any shifts.

Herbal Allies for Stress and Anxiety

Herbs work synergistically with your nervous system to support the whole of your being. Here are three of my favorite plant allies for stress and anxiety:

1. Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) – The Adaptogen for Resilience

Tulsi, or holy basil, helps regulate cortisol levels, enhancing adaptability to stress. It also supports the heart and lungs, making it an excellent ally for those who experience anxiety as tightness in the chest.

How to use: Sip on tulsi tea daily or take it as a tincture for ongoing nervous system support.

2. Milky Oats (Avena sativa) – Nervous System Replenisher

Milky oats are deeply restorative for an overworked nervous system, especially if you feel depleted or burnt out. They nourish frazzled nerves, offering a sense of steadiness and calm.

How to use: Oatstraw is best brewed as a nourishing herbal infusion. Sign up for my email list for a free nourishing herbal infusions guide. Some people like to work with a milky oats tincture for several weeks for deep restoration.

3. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) – Calming and Uplifting

Lemon balm is a gentle nervine that soothes anxiety while also brightening the mood. It’s especially useful if stress manifests as overthinking or digestive upset.

How to use: Enjoy lemon balm as an herbal tea or tincture, particularly in the afternoon to help shift from tired and wired to present and joyful.

Building Capacity for Clarity and Ease

Somatic and herbal approaches aren’t about erasing stress—they’re about building capacity to meet life’s demands with clarity and resilience. When we listen to our bodies, nourish our nervous system, and work with plant allies, we reclaim agency over our well-being.

If you’re ready to go deeper into this work, explore Capacity for Clarity, my six-week course designed to help you attune to your body, strengthen your boundaries, and step into greater ease and integrity.

For more somatic and herbal insights, sign up for my newsletter or book a session at Attunement Agency.