Simple Practices to Feel Like Yourself Again (2 of 3)
Releasing Stress Through Movement: A Missing Piece in Emotional Processing
As a mother, you hold so much. The weight of tiny hands, the endless to-do lists, the unspoken worries. You hold love, frustration, responsibility, and longing—all at once.
Some days, that holding feels effortless. Other days, it feels like your body is bracing against an invisible weight—one you can’t quite put down.
But here’s something we were never taught: stress isn’t just a feeling. It’s a cycle in the body. It’s a healthy response, if each stress cycle is allowed to complete. And unless that cycle completes, your body keeps holding on [1].
Maybe you’ve noticed it. That moment when the stressors from the day are over—the baby is asleep, the dishes are done, the emails are sent—but your chest is still tight. Your shoulders are still high. Your breath still shallow.
The stressors are gone. But the stress? It lingers.
Your nervous system is still running the race, waiting for a signal that it’s safe to stop.
The Stress Cycle: What Your Body Knows That Your Mind Forgets
There’s something much of the natural world understands that we, as humans, have forgotten.
Imagine an antelope running from a lion. Adrenaline surges, muscles contract, breath sharpens- this is an evolutionary response to promote life. But once the lion is gone—once safety is found—what happens next?
The antelope shakes. A full-body tremor. A primal, unconscious release of the stored survival energy. And then? It moves on. The stress cycle is complete.
But humans?
We don’t shake.
We get an angry email and swallow our frustration.
We soothe a screaming child but never soothe ourselves, after.
We endure the day, collapse into bed, and wonder why we still feel so tense.
We keep holding onto stress long after the moment has passed.
Not because we want to—but because we were never taught how to let it go.
Movement: The Forgotten Language of Release
The truth is, we aren’t meant to think our way out of stress.
We are meant to move it through.
We are rhythmic creatures—born to rock, sway, run, dance, tremble. Our bodies are wired for movement as a way of processing emotion, releasing tension, and restoring balance- just look at any young toddler and how they use their whole body to release emotion in a tantrum.
And yet, modern motherhood asks us to sit still in our stress.
To hold it together.
To suppress the shaking, the sighing, the instinct to move.
To carry on as if the body isn’t screaming for release.
But your body knows what it needs. It always has.
When you feel stuck, exhausted, numb—when stress lingers long after the moment has passed—it’s not because you’re broken. It’s because your body hasn’t completed the cycle.
The good news? You can start in this moment to complete the cycles of stored stress. And it doesn’t take long at all.
Try This: The 30-Second Shake
A pause.
A breath.
A moment to let your body lead.
Try this with me:
1️⃣ Stand up. Feel your feet on the ground.
2️⃣ Shake out your hands. Small at first, then bigger. Let them be loose.
3️⃣ Let the movement travel up your arms, shoulders, head.
4️⃣ Bend your knees and bounce gently. Feel the rhythm—no forcing, just allowing.
5️⃣ Add sound. A sigh. A hum. A deep breath out.
And now… allow the motion to get more subtle and stop.
Feel that?
Maybe a shift. A softening. A hint of release.
That’s your nervous system remembering.
That’s your body completing the cycle.
And a fun bonus is, sometimes this can cause a giggle when our little one’s catch us completing the stress cycle- and humor is so often a good thing.
Why This Works (When Nothing Else Does)
So often, we try to think our way out of stress.
We journal. We talk it out. We try to change our mindset.
But the body doesn’t speak in words. It speaks in sensation.
If your body still feels stressed, tight, braced, from the day it doesn’t matter how many reframes you do, or affirmations you write down—your nervous system won’t believe you.
This is why movement is the missing piece in emotional processing.
You don’t have to solve everything today through your mind. Often times things get sorted on their own, problems drop away, and creative solutions to challenges are arrived at in a relaxed body. You just need to give your body permission to move and do its part.
This is why I guide moms through a gentle, yet, powerful somatic practice called The Non-Linear Movement Method® (NLMM)—a way of working with your nervous system through movement, rather than against it.
It’s simple. It’s profound. And it starts with small daily moments like this one.
Your Invitation to Let Go
You don’t have to hold it all alone.
If this 30 second practice resonates with you, I invite you to join me for a free NLMM class—a space where movement meets release, and where your body is finally allowed to let go.
Because you were never meant to carry it all without a way to set it down.
Liked This Practice? Let me know!
🔹 If you’ve tried to shake-it-out, let me know about your experience in the comments!
🔹 Want more? Join my free NLMM class and feel even deeper shifts in your body.
Reference Used:
[1] Nagoski, Emily, and Amelia Nagoski. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Ballantine Books, 2019.