Taking Somatic Breaks for Wellbeing

does our body need a release and to calm or an energy boost (Johns Hopkins Medicine, n.d.)? Research shows that we can re-wire our brains for wellbeing (Kline, 2020). I have been experimenting with different somatic ways to support students and colleagues that I work with throughout the day.

These practices can also be an intentional way to support students and connect to the ISCA Student Standards. In particular, ISCA Student Standard SE:A1:13 — Identify the signs of stress and use techniques for reducing stress — asks students to recognize how stress shows up and develop strategies for managing it (International School Counselor Association [ISCA], 2022). Somatic practices give students opportunities to notice what is happening in their bodies, experiment with different strategies, and begin identifying what works best for them.

Here are a few ways that I have brought some somatic exercises into my work with students:

Body scan (Raypole, 2022):
Ask a student to get comfortable, perhaps plant their feet flat on the floor. They can close their eyes or stare at a spot on the floor. Have them slowly take deep breaths in and out. They will then choose to start at their head or toes and think about each part of their body as they slowly breathe in.

5-4-3-2-1 (Cleveland Clinic, 2026):
This activity requires you to become aware of your five senses. First you will look for five objects (I like to say five objects that are the same color). Then you will focus on four things you can touch. Then three sounds you can hear (I challenge students to hear sounds outside of the room). Then students are asked to smell two things around them, and the final thing is to taste what is in their mouths. While doing this activity, it has proven to be an effective way to stop thoughts from reeling and to help our body and mind become focused on the here and now.

Cloud spotting:
This is an activity that I was challenged to do during a mindfulness session on Insight Timer. This is a free mindfulness app that I highly recommend to anyone. Cloud spotting is when you go outside, place your feet firmly on the grass or ground, and then slowly look up into the sky. Tell yourself that there will never be another moment like this in your lifetime. I suggest you look for clouds or birds moving in the sky. Do this for one to two minutes.

Walk and talks:
One thing that has helped students to calm their bodies and minds is to meet with them on a brief walk around the school campus. We will begin talking once we start our walk. Students tend to open up more because they do not need to look at me and they are feeling the fresh air on their skin and their bodies are bringing them some extra energy to be able to share what is on their minds. This is the way I tend to do a lot of processing or problem solving with students.

Somatic Brain Breaks:
There are several somatic exercises that have been proven to help release emotions (McNamara, M., n.d.). You can make a choice board for teachers with some of these exercises, which can be used for brain breaks.

Providing students with a variety of options also allows them to experiment with different stress-reduction strategies and begin identifying which ones work best for them. This connects directly to ISCA Student Standard SE:A1:13 and its Learning Progression, which builds from practicing simple self-soothing techniques in the early years toward independently recognizing signs of stress and selecting strategies to prevent or manage stressful situations (ISCA, 2022).

Of course, these strategies aren’t just for students. Recognizing stress and finding ways to regulate and care for ourselves is something we can all continue to practice. As counselors and educators, incorporating these same strategies into our own day can support our wellbeing while also helping us model the skills we are asking students to develop.

Here are some techniques we practice with colleagues:

Plant your feet, hold your heart, and breathe:
When starting a meeting with colleagues, we often do a connection activity. One of my favorites is when I ask everyone to sit tall, plant their feet firmly on the ground, put their hands on their heart, and breathe. We take a couple of deep breaths together and I watch the stress flow off of their bodies and shoulders. My colleagues will say “I needed that.” after we take a moment to just be.

Slow neck scan:
This activity asks someone to very slowly scan the room with just moving their necks. I ask them to stop when they see something that makes them feel good and just stare at it. They can continue scanning when they feel like it. We do this for about one to two minutes before starting a meeting.

5 senses tune in:
This one is similar to 5-4-3-2-1, however it is less structured. I will ask everyone to take a moment to listen to the sounds outside of the room. We then touch a couple of different textures around us, we smell the air, we look around at our surroundings, and then we see what we taste in our mouths.

One of the greatest benefits of doing this work with others has been its impact on my own wellbeing. I do the same activities with students and colleagues throughout the day, which makes me calm when things feel like they are too overwhelming or feel too fast. I have taken moments in my day, especially on my way to check in with a student or teacher, to pause, look up at the sky, watch a cloud roll by or plant my feet in the grass. These moments have helped me to be a healthier school counselor and have built my capacity to be a calmer and more effective counselor during a crisis. If you have not already tried some of the activities mentioned above, I suggest you give them a try and share them with your counseling teams.
When we intentionally teach and practice these strategies with students, we are doing more than helping them feel calmer in the moment. We are helping them build a toolbox, understand what works for them, and develop greater independence in recognizing and responding to their own stress.