How to Regulate Your Mood with Movement
By Sarah Petty
Feelings can be BIG and sometimes they feel overwhelming. Movement can help!
What are feelings and how do we move through them?
Feelings are reactions happening in your brain and body in response to situations, events, or thoughts. We don’t feel emotions just in our head - our body feels them too!
Let’s pause and explore:
What does fear feel like in your body?
For me, it feels like the bottom of my stomach drops out and I’m free falling for a second, then I get a jolt of adrenaline and am in a high-alert mode.
What does anger feel like in your body?
For me, it initially feels like heat - often in my cheeks, jaw, and ears, and my body feels loaded with barely contained energy, ready to explode. When I’ve been angry for a long time, it feels more dull and deflated, like a sunburn in my heart.
What does sadness feel like your body?
For me, it feels like I’m drained of energy and I want to curl up in a ball on the floor. In more intense instances, it feels like my insides are hollowed out and I’m completely empty.
What does happiness feel like your body?
For me, it feels like a sunbeam emitting from my chest. The higher the peak, the more intense the beam. I often have a burst of energy that is exhibited through involuntary sound or movement.
Now that you’ve identified how emotions feel in your body, let’s explore another way of looking at emotions: your window of tolerance.
What is a Window of Tolerance?
If your body/brain is a house, your nervous system is like a window, opening wider or closing you off from experiencing what’s going on outside.
When the window is all the way open, you get lots of sensory information from the outdoors: temperature, wind, sounds, etc. Sometimes there is a lot going on outside (like a thunderstorm or a marching band), and it feels like too much. In the nervous system, we call this hyperarousal (over-functioning).
Hyperarousal (window wide open) can look like being on high alert, agitation, anger, excitement, or being easily startled. It can feel like sound/light sensitivity, fast heart rate that won’t slow down, you can’t sit still, bursts of energy, insomnia, or high blood pressure.
When the window is closed, you are mostly cut off from what’s going on outside, even though you can see it. Sometimes your window might close for a long time because it was too loud earlier, but now it’s fine and you don’t get to really know what’s going on out there. In the nervous system, we call this hypoarousal (under-functioning).
Hypoarousal (window shut down) can look like tech overuse (Netflix wants to know if you’re still watching!), lack of focus, and unexplained sleepiness or forgetfulness. It can feel like being stuck and unable to take action, numbness, extreme fatigue, losing track of time, or shallow breathing.
When the window is halfway open, you get the benefits of experiencing the outside, but there’s a bit of a buffer since the window is partly closed. In the nervous system, we call this homeostasis.
Homeostasis (window halfway open) can look like calm, focused, and moderately alert. It can feel like being relaxed, adaptable, tolerant of stress, and thinking ahead beyond the next few days.
Your nervous system window is made to be open and shut many times throughout your life, but it feels good when you feel safe enough to find a happy middle.
Everyone’s window of tolerance is different.
People with autism, neurodevelopmental disabilities, chronic stress, complex trauma, big “T” trauma, and/or brain injury typically have a smaller window of tolerance (less space between all the way open and all the way closed, and/or more sensitivity to what’s going on outside).
People who grew up with emotionally attentive parents, get their physical needs met, & have some kind of financial security typically have a bigger window of tolerance (more space between open and closed, and less sensitivity toward moving the window either way).
How does my window of tolerance affect my feelings?
When your nervous system is on either end of the spectrum, your feelings are going to feel more intense! You may feel completely out of control or super anxious, or so shut down that it feels like you cannot take any action at all.
When you have strong feelings and want to move through them, it helps a LOT to know if you are closer to open or shut, so you can do a specific kind of movement that helps with returning you to homeostasis.
General tips as you work to bring your nervous system back into homeostasis
Set a time limit:
A few seconds, up to 60 minutes of intervention is all you need to get physiological benefits. The more intense the intervention or movement option, the shorter duration you probably need to safely return to homeostasis.
Use sound:
Music or binaural beats can set the tone and help you bring your emotions to the forefront. If you struggle to cry or get angry, this is especially important!
Environment matters:
You will probably feel safest (and have a more effective experience) doing this work alone. Whether that is at home, out on a trail, or in the corner of the gym, be sure to choose a location that feels safe and where you are unlikely to share your stress with others.
If you feel that you need the support of others, you can do this work in a therapy session (EMDR therapy is an example of this), with a trusted friend or family member, or even just generally having other people moving with you like in a group class.
General types of movement to bring your nervous system back into homeostasis
Shaking
Why it works: it releases pent-up energy and shifts your sensory experience enough that you may get endorphins. Imagine an animal shaking off stress after a tense encounter - that animal is you!
Just your hands
Full body
Continue for 1-2 minutes or until you feel satisfied
Settle for a minute when you’re done to reconnect with how you are feeling
Progressive muscle relaxation (Squeezing)
Why it works:
All of your mental focus is on one part of your body, you can’t think about anything else. It also encourages the release of excess energy.
Squeeze one area of your body as tight as you safely can for 5+ seconds, then relax. Try:
Hands
Biceps
Lats
Glutes
Hamstrings
Bilateral Stimulation
Why it works:
Shifts you out of hyperarousal into homeostasis by activating both hemispheres of the brain and allowing them to communicate more effectively with each other. Creates new neural pathways between hemispheres as well. Increases serotonin and dopamine in the brain.
Walking
Shoulder tapping
Foot tapping
Stepping side-to-side
Dancing
Skipping
Tossing a ball back and forth between your hands
Specific options for Anger & Frustration
Option 1: Simulate fight mode and disperse your energy quickly (great for hyperarousal)
Hit something!
Examples:
Kickboxing, punching bag, shadowboxing
Tennis or pickleball
Lift something!
Pushups
Any heavy lift you like (deadlift, bench press, squat, leg press)
Rage clean
Become a vortex of clean - anything messy cowers in fear of your wrath!
Set a timer and clean as much as you can during this time. Pretend someone you don’t like is coming over to inspect your house.
Option 2: Bilateral movement gradually brings you back into homeostasis (great for body hypoarousal and hyperarousal)
Walking
Running
Cycling
Tossing a ball back and forth between your hands
Specific options for Sadness & Grief
Move with your breath
Yoga, Tai Chi, or similar movements
Strength training with dumbbells or just your body
As you move, focus on every little detail of what your body is doing. This helps you remember that life exists beyond your sadness and that your body is supporting you.
Try narrating your experience, like "I’m picking up the weights. I’m squeezing my muscles. I’m breathing. I’m finding my balance. I can feel the wind. I am getting warmer.”
This process works well for both hyperarousal and hypoarousal.
Specific Options for Numbness & Apathy
You are likely in hypoarousal and need support to shift back toward homeostasis.
Option 1: Full Body Scan to reconnect with each part of your body
Option 2: Take up space with Goddess pose:
Stand with your feet wide and toes turned out.
Put your hands in a prayer position at your chest or forehead.
Inhale to squat down as your hands move down and out and up.
Exhale to push into your feet as you straighten your knees and bring your hands back where they started.
Specific options for Fear & Anxiety
Option 1: Butterfly Taps
Interlace your thumbs, then bring your hands to your chest (fingers reaching up toward shoulders). Take a deep breath and feel the soothing sensation of your own touch. When you’re ready, start alternating taps from one hand to the other. Keep doing this as long as you want. This helps your brain and body feel comforted, and may be especially helpful for hyperarousal.
Option 2: Set a timer
Set a timer for 20 minutes and start moving in some way. Whatever you choose to do, don’t stop until the timer runs out (unless there’s an emergency). This will help your brain remember that you can take action, even if it doesn’t fix the thing you are afraid about. This can be especially helpful for hypoarousal.
Specific options for Happiness & Joy
Option 1: Explore new things.
Use your energy to cultivate curiosity and try a new movement or skill that you can potentially use during times when you don’t feel good.
Option 2: Share your joy with others!
Move with friends or family in a supportive and positive way to share your happiness.
I hope you find these tips helpful! Here are more resources to help you move through your feelings and understand your nervous system: