68. Somatic Self-Care for Nurses: Quick Body-Based Practices to Ease Stress

In the final episode of our three-part Winter Blues series, we’re shifting from the mind to the body. When you’re tired, stressed, or overwhelmed, you can’t always think your way into feeling better — but you can move your way there.

Jenny walks you through five simple, accessible somatic exercises that help calm your nervous system, increase energy, and bring you back into your body in just a few minutes. No equipment, no special setup — just gentle movement that fits into real life and real nurse schedules.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, scattered, or emotionally heavy, these small somatic tools offer a powerful way to reconnect with yourself and shift your mood quickly.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
✅ Why somatic practices work for mood, energy, and emotional regulation
✅ How grounding breath instantly calms your nervous system
✅ A shoulder-release technique that melts tension from screens, phones, and stress
✅ Why shaking is one of the quickest ways to reset your system
✅ A heart-centered exercise for grounding, comfort, and self-compassion
✅ Why small, consistent movement creates real change

Takeaways & Action Steps:

1. Practice the grounding breath for 3–5 cycles anytime you feel overwhelmed.
2. Use the shoulder release during work breaks, charting, or on your commute.
3. Try gentle shaking the next time you feel anxious or overstimulated.
4. Use hand-on-heart breathing for emotional grounding during tough moments.
5. Add one tiny movement ritual each day — stretching, walking, or dancing for 1 minute.

🔊 Verbatim Soundbite (15–30 seconds)

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like there’s never enough time, I’ve got something just for you! Head to https://selfcareisntselfish.com to grab your FREE copy of my book, Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief. It’s packed with simple, effective strategies to help you prioritize your needs—without guilt—so you can feel energized, focused, and ready to take on the day. Go to https://selfcareisntselfish.com 

Feeling stressed? Grab my quick and easy Busy Nurses' Guide to Less Stress for practical stress relief that truly fits into your life! https://www.jennylytle.com/guide

Looking for connection with people who get the stress and self-care struggles of nurses and caregivers? Check out https://thenursesbreakroom.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylytlern/

More ways to connect here: https://linktr.ee/jennylytle

Chapters

• 0:58 Welcome And Seasonal Context
• 1:12 Why Movement Changes Mood
• 1:55 Grounding Breath Tutorial
• 2:31 Shoulder Release Reset
• 2:58 Gentle Shaking To Reset Stress
• 3:59 Hand On Heart Reassurance
• 4:30 Small Doses Of Daily Movement
• 4:51 Encouragement And Ways To Reach Jenny
• 5:24 Self Care Reminder And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:29

Hello and welcome back to the Nurses Break Room with Jenny Lytle, RN. In the past couple of weeks, we've talked about the emotional side of winter and what it's like to try to keep spirits bright through the holidays and maintaining energy when the days are short. Today we're going to bring it back into the body because sometimes the best way to shift your mood isn't through thinking, but through moving. When we feel down, tired, or disconnected, it's easy to live in our heads, thinking and worrying and planning while ignoring what our body's trying to tell us. But the body is often the fastest path back to calm and balance and energy. And so here are a few simple somatic exercises that you can try. They don't take any equipment, they don't take any fancy setup or prep. It's just you, your breath, and a few quiet minutes. The first one is the grounding breath. So sit or stand with your feet on the floor. And take a slow breath in through your nose, feeling your chest and belly expand. And then exhale through your mouth a little slower than you inhaled. Feel your feet on the floor, steady and supported. A few rounds of this can calm your nervous system and help you feel more present. Number two, a shoulder release. On your next inhale, lift your shoulders up towards your ears. Hold this for a second or two, and then exhale and let them drop. Add a little sigh if you want, and that helps to release tension that maybe you didn't even realize you were holding. This is especially helpful if you're somebody who does a lot of computer work or maybe spends a lot of time on your phone. Number three is gentle shaking. And this one can feel silly, but it really is powerful. Loosen up your hands, arms, legs, just shake your body out for 30 seconds or so. Animals naturally do this after stress, which was something that I didn't realize until when I read about it a couple of, well, it's probably been a year or two ago now, but I had never really considered that, the way that animals shake things off like that. And I found that if I'm feeling very anxious or nervous, um, that is something that really does have an impact on how I feel. It's it's a way to, again, reset the nervous system. And very simple, very practical, things that can be done anywhere. Now, that one you may not want to do, like in the middle of a meeting, but but you can go in the bathroom and do that if you need to, or in your office, or um, wherever you happen to be where you feel a little more comfortable doing something, maybe alone. Number four, hand on your heart. So place your hand over your heart and take a few slow breaths and just notice the rhythm there. And you can silently say something to yourself, like, I'm safe, I'm here, I'm doing my best. And this simple touch can help you feel grounded and cared for, especially on tough days. And finally, as kind of a bonus, doing movement in small doses. A short walk, some stretches during your shift, dancing to a favorite song. These little things maybe seem like, well, it really doesn't matter, but they add up to bigger things and they help you in the moment. So the key is consistency, not intensity. So I encourage you, especially if you're feeling skeptical, just give it a little try. And when you reconnect with your body, you help your mind follow. You remind yourself that you're not stuck, you're still moving, you're still becoming. And if you try one of these this week, I'd love to hear how it goes. And feel free to reach out to me. You can just uh reach out to my email at jennylytle at jennylightle.com. Um, find me on Facebook or Instagram, Jenny Lytle or Jenny Lytle R N. And I would love to hear from you. Until next time, remember self-care isn't selfish. It's essential if we want to continue to care for others and live our best lives. Have an amazing week.