4 Hand Positions to Calm Your Nervous System

Here are four hand positions that you can use to calm your nervous system when you’re feeling very stressed and anxious.

Anyone ever tell you to “just calm down” when you’re stressed?

Adorable, right?!? 😆 Oh wait, I mean infuriating. 😠

When we’re stressed, we make the mistake of trying to THINK our way to calm. But we want to calm the body first before trying to think our way through a problem.

It’s easier to calm the mind through the body than to calm the body through the mind.

So, step one when you are stressed, anxious and overwhelmed is to start in the body. If your nervous system feels safe and grounded, then your guard is going to come down and THEN you’ll have access to all the cognitive tools that you need.

All of these hand positions are sending calming signals from the vagus nerve up to your brain to say “I am safe in my body right now”.

Watch the video or read below.

@happywoz
It’s too damn hard to think your way out of a problem that thought got you into. When you’re stressed, start by calming your nervous system. Once you are feeling more grounded, THEN you can do the deeper work to tap into your inner guidance, problem solve, create boundaries or take action. #anxiety #anxietyrelief #vagusnerve #stressreliever #breathe #mentalhealth
♬ original sound – Sandy Woznicki Stress Coach

Here are 4 Hand Positions You Can Use to Calm Your Nervous System…

#1 Calming position: The Self Hug

The first one you can do, especially if you’re feeling rather unsafe is the Self Hug. You’re going to hug the outside of your rib cage with one hand, and hold the outside of your opposite arm with the other hand. Then just breathe into the position and relax your body.

#2 Calming position: Hand on head and heart

This next hand position is great for when you can’t stop overthinking and ruminating, and your mind is going a mile a minute. You’re going to put one hand on your head and the other on your heart. Just put your focus into where your hand is touching your body and breathe into that.

#3 Calming position: Two hands on heart

This next hand position I love for when you really need some love, guidance and support when you’re feeling very stressed. You’re going to put two hands on your heart and feel some pressure there, like a weighted blanket. Then just breathe into that sensation.

#4 Calming position: Hand on heart and solar plexus

This last one I love because I gravitate towards it the most myself. Here you’ll put one hand on your heart and the other on your solar plexus, just below your rib cage. This is great for when your source of anxiety is coming from a lack of confidence. The solar plexus is the physical location where our confidence stems from (which is the location of the third chakra).

So we want to connect these two areas of our body – heart and confidence.

The bottom line:

When you’re stressed, start in the body. Then you can do the mental work.

Where to go from here:

Free Inner Voice Makeover workbook: Transform harsh self-talk into self-compassion with these 5 powerful steps to speak to yourself like someone you love. Discover the values hidden beneath your inner critic.
21 Day Meditation-in-Action: Retrain your brain in just 4 minutes daily. Create the mental space needed to connect with your authentic self and make values-aligned decisions.
1:1 Discovery Session: End the cycle of reactivity that leaves you feeling guilty, drained, and disconnected from your authentic self. In this focused 30-minute free consultation, we’ll identify your unique stress triggers and create a clear path to the calm response patterns you’ve been searching for. Transform stress into strength—starting now!