Category · Body & Somatic
Anxiety lives in the body. The thought is downstream of the breath, the muscle tone, the heart rate, the temperature. These six tools work before the thinking brain — useful when you can't think your way out, or when thinking is part of the problem.
Jacobson's original protocol adapted to 16 zones rather than the typical 7–8. Each zone is tensed for 5 s, then released for 25 s with attention to the contrast. The body diagram lights up in sequence so you can always see where you are.
A 12-minute slow movement of attention from feet to head. Unlike guided meditations that read you a script, this version has you report what you find at each station, then offers a "settle" instruction based on what you marked. It's an interoception trainer.
Trauma-informed neurogenic tremoring. Animals shake after a threat; humans often suppress the impulse. This 8-minute standing sequence induces gentle tremors in the legs and pelvis, which the nervous system reads as a "reset" signal. We include safety criteria and a short contraindications list because it's not for everyone.
A face-splash is enough to activate the mammalian dive reflex and recruit the parasympathetic system — no ice baths required. This planner builds a 28-day progression from 15-second face splashes to a 60-second cold shower ending, with a "warm-up" safety filter (don't try this cold before coffee if you're caffeine-naive — safety matters more than protocol).
Ten physical maneuvers that stimulate the vagus nerve, each with a different speed and effect. Pick by context (where you are, what you're doing) — not all maneuvers are interchangeable. We rank them by speed of effect and by situation-fit.
The classic sensory anchor — five things you can see, four you can hear, three you can touch, two you can smell, one you can taste. Standard versions list them and stop. This one paces the practice: 8 seconds per sense, with a chirp and a "breathe" beat between senses, and lets you save the items as a personal anchor card.
Common with chronic tension. Two tricks: (1) tense slightly harder than the "real" tension — so the drop is more noticeable; (2) notice temperature and weight of the body part, not just muscle tone.
For some people interoception increases anxiety before it decreases it. Start with 2 stations only (hands and feet), then build up. If that still doesn't help, switch to breath work — less interoceptive load.
No. Anyone with cardiovascular conditions, Raynaud's, or who is pregnant should check with a clinician. Start with face splashes only, not full-body cold.