When Anxiety grips the Body

When Anxiety grips the Body Anxiety is a heavy burden which can be felt in the body — tight shoulders, restless legs, shallow breaths, profuse sweating; in the way we move, in the silence we hold, in the gestures we repeat without realising. Our experiences are stored not just in memory but in muscle, posture, and energy. If anxiety is in your body, will working only with our thoughts be enough? Cognitive therapies offers powerful tools to notice and challenge unhelpful thinking. For many, it brings clarity and structure, and that can feel like safety. But thoughts are just one layer of anxiety Rationale alone can’t always touch what the body remembers. This is where Expressive arts therapy and psychodrama opens a new door. Through role play, embodied storytelling, and other action methods, it gives space for anxiety to be expressed and transformed. Instead of pushing it down or trying to control it, we can explore it, give it form, and let it move. Because healing isn’t just about thinking differently. It’s about experiencing yourself differently.