Ways to Reduce Anxiety in High-Functioning Individuals

By Swapna Viswanathan, Registered Psychotherapist

Dr. Chloe Carmichael mentions in her book Nervous Energy – Harness the Power of Your Anxiety, “one of the hallmarks of high functioning people is intellectual curiosity”. Many of you might resonate with this sentence. In many cases, the high-functioning individual or their loved ones do not realize that these individuals who seem to be overachieving their milestones, ending the day with high energy, being present for the family, simultaneously completing one goal and working towards another goal, might be experiencing anxiety, depression or burnout.

Some of my favourite techniques to support a high-functioning mind are:

• Cognitive Restructuring: The first step is to identify, challenge and replace the distorted pattern of thoughts or irrational thoughts, such as perfectionism, with realistic and balanced perspectives.

• SMART Goal setting: Goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. Bigger goals can get overwhelming quickly, but breaking them into tiny, manageable tasks can help reduce or manage anxiety.

• 3-5 minutes: Doing a task that one might otherwise procrastinate for only 3-5 minutes to build momentum. I remember using this technique for subjects like business math and quantitative techniques during university days.

• Grounding and relaxation techniques: Yoga, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, pranayama (yogic breathwork), gardening, doodling and painting.

• To-do list: Write a to-do list and keep it somewhere where you can see it. Writing all the tasks with approximate time taken to do them on a given day, week or month, keeping enough time for spontaneous addition of unexpected pivots.

• Making time for hobbies and interests helps relax the mind. Someone once told me rest is also productive.

• Breaking self-created limitations: Identifying self-created limitations which lead to stress or anxiety and breaking these barriers helps in setting more realistic goals.

• Creating time to reconnect with friends. Every week, set aside some time to do tasks intentionally and mindfully, such as reading a book without hurry, having meals without distractions like watching television during meals, taking time to enjoy the tea without rushing, and taking time to do nothing. One of the biggest challenges for a high-functioning individual is to do nothing and relax.

Research shows that adding somatic therapy exercises helps in reducing anxiety and increasing mindfulness. Somatic therapy exercises also help release stress and tension, regulate the nervous system, and increase awareness in the body (Norizan, 2025; Nicholson et al., 2025).

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Reference:
Yusof, Norizan. (2025). Emotional transformation through the effects of somatic therapy techniques in reducing depression among students of skill training institutions. International Journal of Humanities Technology and Civilization. 68-74. 10.15282/ijhtc.v10i1.12228.

Nicholson, W. C., Sapp, M., Karas, E. M., Duva, I. M., & Grabbe, L. (2025). The body can balance the score: Using a somatic self-care intervention to support well-being and promote healing. Healthcare, 13(11), 1258. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13111258

Fatigue & Low Energy? Osteopathic Manual Therapy Can Help!

By Leann Mai, Osteopathic Manual Therapist (M. OMSC)

Here are 5 key ways Osteopathic Manual Therapy (also called OMT) can help address fatigue and low energy:

1.) Improves Circulation and Lymphatic Drainage:

OMT can enhance blood flow, reduce fluid stagnation, and support detoxification by promoting lymphatic return. This helps decrease systemic inflammation and toxin buildup, which often contribute to feelings of tiredness and low energy. Better oxygenation and nutrient delivery to tissues can lead to more sustained vitality.

2.) Reduces Musculoskeletal Tension and Pain:

Chronic muscle tightness, restricted joints, or postural imbalances create ongoing strain that drains energy reserves. Gentle manipulations, stretching, and soft tissue work release these restrictions, lowering the body’s “energy tax” from pain and guarding.

3.) Enhances Autonomic Nervous System Balance:

OMT often targets the spine, ribs, and cranial areas to modulate sympathetic/parasympathetic activity, shifting the body from a “fight-or-flight” (energy-depleting) state toward “rest-and digest” (restorative). This can lower stress-related exhaustion, improve sleep quality, and boost overall energy regulation.

4.) Promotes Better Sleep and Recovery:

By alleviating physical discomfort and calming the nervous system, OMT frequently leads to improved sleep patterns. Better restorative sleep directly combats daytime low energy and fatigue.

5.) Supports Holistic Self-Healing and Energy Management:

Osteopathic philosophy views the body as a unit; OMT aims to restore structural balance so the body functions more efficiently. This can minimize post-exertional malaise (common in fatigue syndromes), and enhance resilience to daily demands.

OMT is generally safe, non-invasive, and complementary to other approaches (e.g., exercise, nutrition, or medical care). Effects vary by individual—some notice quick improvements after a few sessions, while others benefit from ongoing treatment.

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Somatic Exercises for Reducing Anxiety – Workshop Details Below

By Swapna Viswanathan, Registered Psychotherapist Qualifying

Anxiety can show up in the body in various ways and sometimes is unique to the person experiencing it. Be it an elevated heart rate for some, shallow breathing for someone else, or one might say they experience tightness in their chest, whereas someone else might experience ruminating thoughts. Anxiety shows up in everyday life without warning, most of the time disrupting daily functioning. While psychotherapy or talk therapy helps reduce anxiety, research shows that adding somatic modalities can be beneficial in reducing anxiety (Kuhfuß et. al., 2021).

Somatic-based therapy modalities acknowledge the connection between our mind and body, which leads to trauma manifesting physically in our bodies. One of my favourite books that explores the relationship between emotions and physical manifestations is You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay.

What is Somatic, and the psychology behind somatic healing?

The meaning of somatic is body-oriented. The modalities that help us to heal by experiencing our body in the here and now, or the present moment, are somatic psychology modalities. This can be accessed in various ways, including physical movement, breath work, and increased awareness of sensations and embodied emotions. As well as inviting qualities such as non-judgment, curiosity, openness, and self-compassion.

Some of the somatic exercises that you can practice often are as follows:

• Grounding exercises: 5-4-3-2-1 sensing exercises (five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste).
• Breath work, whether it is simple box breathing or specific yogic breathing practices known as pranayama (Anulom Vilom pranayama, Brahmaree pranayama or Kapalbhati).
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique
• Physical slow movements: Stretching, dancing, walking, yoga, nature walk and more.
  

References:
Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing -effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review.
European journal of psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1929023.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023

5 Key Ways Osteopathic Manual Therapy Can Help Back Pain

By Leann Mai, M. OMSC (Osteopathic Manual Therapist)

Struggling with Back Pain?
Here are 5 Ways Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) Helps with Back Pain:

• Restores joint mobility and corrects somatic dysfunction through gentle articulation and mobilization. Techniques like articulation (slow, rhythmic joint movements) and gentle mobilization gradually improve restricted motion in spinal segments, pelvis, or sacroiliac joints without any thrusting. This addresses biomechanical imbalances and reduces mechanical stress on tissues, leading to decreased pain and better range of motion.

• Reduces muscle tension and improves flexibility via gentle techniques to soft tissues that can apply sustained gentle pressure or rhythmic stretching to paraspinal muscles, fascia, and ligaments. This releases tightness, spasms, and trigger points, lowers guarding, and enhances muscle length/tone. Improving local circulation and decreasing the chronic strain that perpetuates back pain.

• Modulates pain pathways and promotes pain relief through gentle methods (e.g., myofascialrelease, counterstrain) influencing neurophysiological mechanisms and release of anti-inflammatory mediators.They calm sensitized nerves and provide relief without forceful input.

• Improves circulation, reduces inflammation, and supports tissue recovery enhancing blood/lymphatic flow and tissue oxygenation through gentle rhythmic pressures and releases, while modulating autonomic balance (favouring parasympathetic activity). This aids in clearing inflammatory byproducts from strained areas and promotes healing.

• Enhances overall body unity, postural balance, and autonomic regulation. Following osteopathic principles, gentle OMT addresses interconnected restrictions (e.g., thoracic, pelvic, or lower extremity influences on the low back) holistically. Restore balance, reduce stress-amplified pain, and improve global function/resilience.

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Psychological & Therapeutic Benefits of Handwritten Letters

By Swapna Viswanathan, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)

For 15 years of my life, I wrote and received long, handwritten letters from and to my father, who worked abroad. We both used to eagerly wait for our letters. The sound of the post being dropped at my house, the feel of the stationery, collecting thoughts throughout the week to write to him about school, friends, life and to know more about his work, sometimes at the sea doing some engineering work that he describes in his letters. He introduced me to his lived experience with seasickness and the storms he witnessed during his first time stationed at a location with alternating calm and rough seas.

These letters were filled with love, hope, dreams, experiences, emotions, opinions, different perspectives on the cultures he encountered, knowledge of several festivals from faraway lands, and kindled our imagination. We still have all the letters treasured in albums with nostalgia.

In a world where most of us work on laptops, communicate through e-mails and social media, the art of handwritten letters or notes has gradually dwindled. On the contrary, we see a rise of mental health challenges with many who wish to reconnect with themselves, or the version of themselves which felt calm and safe. Balance is so significant here. Feeling calm and safe, having social connections, serving and feeling a sense of belonging to our expanding community, expressing ourselves, connecting with nature, and taking our time without rushing have become luxuries for many nowadays.
            
Handwritten notes, cards, letters to self and others, or just a small chit bring many benefits to our mental and emotional health.

Some benefits of handwriting or handwritten notes and letters are:

• Enhancing our emotional health
• Supports in depression and anxiety
• Slowing down to manage stress, process information, and emotional release by
  confronting everyday stressors.
• Increases self-awareness and fosters self-reflection.
• Creates Alpha and Theta waves connected to learning, which are otherwise not
  present when one uses typewriting.
• Promoting deeper connections with loved ones and others
• “One task at a time!” Writing letters to ourselves or others needs an intentional
  pause.
• Enhancing cognitive ability and memory
• Nostalgia by cherishing the letters to evoke these memories years later
• Exploring emotions while gaining clarity
• Handwriting letters and notes becomes therapeutic as information is processed
  simultaneously.
• Helps generate ideas and see the bigger picture.
• Processing information
• Handwriting stimulates a vast network of brain areas involved in cognitive processing, motor and sensory abilities, as well as deeper levels of learning and retention (Marano et al. 2025).
  

To share this art and knowledge with others seeking to enhance their emotional and mental wellness, Swapna Viswanathan is hosting a 1.5 workshop on February 7, 4-5:30 p.m.

Click here to REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP

Only 10 seats are available for each session. Open to pre-registered participants only.

Reference:
Marano, G., Kotzalidis, G. D., Lisci, F. M., Anesini, M. B., Rossi, S., Barbonetti, S.,
Cangini, A., Ronsisvalle, A., Artuso, L., Falsini, C., Caso, R., Mandracchia, G., Brisi, C.,
Traversi, G., Mazza, O., Pola, R., Sani, G., Mercuri, E. M., Gaetani, E., & Mazza, M.
(2025). The neuroscience behind writing: Handwriting vs. typing-who wins the
battle?. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 15(3), 345. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15030345
 Shen L, Yang L, Zhang J, Zhang M (2018). Benefits of expressive writing in reducing
test anxiety: A randomized controlled trial in Chinese samples. PLoS ONE 13(2):
e0191779. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191779

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