Overcome Disappointment With These 4 Somatic Exercises

There’s nothing worse than allowing yourself to become hopeful or excited about a particular outcome, only for it to veer off in a much different direction than expected. The emotional baggage that follows disappointment can bring a great deal of unwanted stress. But did you know that the way we manage disappointment is closely linked to the state of our nervous system?

In this article we’ll explain how your body might respond to the stress of disappointment and give a few examples of how somatic exercises can assist in overcoming that disappointment. Let’s dive right in…

How The Nervous System Responds to Disappointment

Depending on the situation, disappointment can lead to some pretty heavy emotions and more times than not, this will result in the low-energy state of Dorsal Vagal. When the stress of disappointment hits, here’s what that may look like:

The Dorsal Vagal State

When disappointment triggers the Dorsal Vagal State, the body goes into a kind of shutdown mode. This response is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and often leads to a feeling of disconnection from the mind and body. In this state, you might experience:

Decreased energy or fatigue
Reduced motivation or a sense of apathy
Feelings of sadness or mild depression
A desire to withdraw socially or self-isolate

The Dorsal Vagal State is the body's way of conserving energy and protecting itself from prolonged stress or emotional pain associated with disappointment.

HIDDEN SIGNS OF DISAPPOINTMENT

The truth is, disappointment can bring a lot of conflicting emotions. Disappointment may creep up subtly or even hide behind other emotions and behaviors. Anger and frustration, for example, is a common mask for disappointment. When we suppress our true emotions for too long, the nervous system will need to find ways to act out and release pent up energy.

Another sneaky sign of disappointment is procrastination. As mentioned, the nervous system will often respond to a loss or disappointing outcome by shutting down. Whether it’s the fear of another unwanted outcome or lack of motivation because, “what’s the point?” Your nervous system may decide to build some protective walls and this is when nervous system regulation tools such as somatic exercises become very useful.

While all of this is a sideways attempt of our nervous system trying to protect us, if we don’t work to overcome disappointment from the root, we can perpetuate the cycle of disappointment and find ourselves becoming more detached from our lives, relationships, and full potential. Staying stuck in an imbalanced nervous system state will ultimately impact our sense of happiness, peace, and well-being.

Get to the Root Cause of Disappointment

Difficulty regulating emotions, lacking a clear understanding of why you feel the way you feel, or struggling to change certain habits and behaviors can all be signs of suppressed disappointment. Getting to the root cause of disappointment is crucial for overcoming it.

Inside the NEUROFIT App, we offer personalized, AI-based wellness coaching with our CLEAR feature which helps you quickly work through stored stress and emotions. After identifying which life aspect feels most challenging, CLEAR guides you to the root cause of the presenting issue and will give real-time solutions and somatic balance exercises to move forward with.

Some common sources of disappointment include:

Feeling stuck in your current position at work
Not feeling supported by a partner or loved ones
Not meeting financial goals
Feeling as though you’re “missing out” on a certain life milestone

These are all areas of concern that CLEAR can help you work through…

“I feel stuck in my position, but I’m not sure what to do about.”
”I feel like I’m not getting the support I need from my partner, but I’m struggling with how to communicate it.”
”I feel frustrated that I didn’t meet my financial goals despite working so hard this year.”
”I feel like I should be settling down by now in my life, but I’m nowhere close to being ready.”

Saying these things out loud (or well...typing them out loud) is a powerful first step in taking full control of your life and emotions. If you’re ready to finally optimize your life and well-being, the NEUROFIT App can help you do so — fast.

Check out a few of the somatic exercises you’ll find within the app below and when you’re ready to start your 6-week nervous system reset, download the app here.

Somatic Exercises for Overcoming Disappointment

Somatic exercises provide an excellent outlet to stress and disappointment. Inside the NEUROFIT App, we have a full library of targeted exercises to shift your nervous system from either a high or low state. Here, we’ll provide you with a few exercises to try when working through disappointment.

Somatic Exercises for shifting out of dorsal vagal

Body Tapping — Ball your hands into fists and tap your body with both hands, from head to toe. Tap solidly - it should not be painful, but it should create noticeable sensations. Increase the intensity of the taps at your discretion.

Body tapping activates touch receptors that send calming signals to the brain, quickly reducing anxiety and stress. It also improves your mind-body connection by bringing your attention to physical sensations.

Tree Shaking — Stand up, lift your arms, and shake them rhythmically, focusing on the sensation of gradual release.

Shaking your body, specifically your arms, disrupts the pattern of stress hormones in your body. It triggers muscle relaxation by activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for 'rest and digest' response.

Arm and Leg Squeezes — Apply gentle pressure to your arms and legs one at a time, focusing solely on the feeling of each squeeze.

This is a simple grounding technique used to increase physical awareness of the body and divert mental energy from stress to the present moment.

Sacred Rage — While standing up, inhale and lift the arms above the head, raising the shoulders. On each each exhale and downward motion, focus on releasing any anger or frustration with powerful and intentional movements.

Sacred Rage taps into the body's 'fight' response, allowing you to safely express and release pent-up anger and frustration. By physically moving and vocalizing, you're mimicking the natural stress release mechanisms in the body, which leaves the body feeling more calm and grounded.

Faqs about somatic exercises

What are somatic exercises?
Somatic exercises are intentional, targeted movements aimed at enhancing the mind-body connection. Exercises include deep breathing, body shaking, and relaxation techniques.

Do somatic exercises really work?
Yes, a great deal of research suggests that somatic exercises can be effective in reducing stress, improving body awareness, and promoting positive body image. These factors all contribute to a holistic approach to weight management.

How long do somatic exercises take?
The duration of somatic exercises can vary based on daily and cumulative stress levels. Even 3-5 minutes a day can prove beneficial in fact, 54% of NEUROFIT App users report less stress after just one week.

How many somatic exercises should I do each day?
When it comes to somatic exercises, we have found that depth over variety yields the most substantive results. Our data suggests choosing 1-2 exercises a day and repeating as necessary until you’ve reached a balanced state.

Conclusion

Disappointment, while a challenging emotion, can absolutely be resolved with a body-centered approach. Understanding how your nervous system reacts to stress and disappointment and finding constructive ways to work through your emotions will help get you back to balance much sooner than later.

The NEUROFIT App provides a step-by-step process for regulating your nervous system and emotions daily. Start your 6-week protocol by downloading the app today.