Somatic Strategies to Stay Present During Emotional Overload

Not all overwhelm is created equal.

Most of us think of “activation” as freaking out, yelling, or spiraling—but the nervous system has range. It doesn’t always show up as chaos. Sometimes it’s stone silence. Sometimes it’s productivity. Sometimes it’s scrolling TikTok for an hour without remembering your own name.

To help track what kind of state you’re in, let’s break it into three buckets:

Chaotic

What it feels like:

• High energy, racing thoughts

• Big emotions taking the wheel (rage, panic, dread)

• You’re saying everything and nothing all at once

• Maybe your body is buzzing, your voice is louder, or you need to leave right now

What helps:
You don’t need to shut it down—you need to slow it down.

• Longer exhales (in for 4, out for 6+)

• Cold or pressure cues (ice, splash of cold water, hand to chest)

• Vagus nerve activation (humming, sighing, or even fake yawns)

• Stillness after movement—shake it out, then pause

You're not “too much.” Your body just hit the gas and forgot the brakes.

Contained/Clear

What it feels like:

• You’re activated but staying engaged

• Emotion is present, but you're not consumed by it

• You might cry or feel shaky, but you’re still with yourself

• There's energy, but it’s being channeled, not scattered

What helps:
Not much! This is where we want to land. The work here is trusting that this kind of regulated presence is emotional safety. You don’t need to numb it. You just ride the wave with compassion and curiosity.

This is regulation with emotion—not without it.

Confined

What it feels like:

• You’re shut down, checked out, or “numb but functional”

• You might get foggy, overly polite, quiet, or robotic

• Feels like you're behind glass, or like your voice is far away

• No access to the emotion… just the weight of it

What helps:
You need to bring energy up, not tamp it down.

• Start with external anchors: textures, sounds, light movement

• Orient to the environment: name colors, shapes, or textures around you

• Connect to something safe—a scent, a photo, a song

• Gently invite in body awareness: pressure into feet, warm mug in hand, a single breath of curiosity

We don’t yank ourselves out—we build a bridge back to ourselves.