Shaking Emotional Release Wave Recipe (5–7 minutes)

This recipe helps you safely move stress and emotion through your body using gentle shaking so you can return to connection, clarity, and choice—especially when you feel activated, flooded, or on the edge of reacting.

Disclaimer:
This is an emotional embodiment and self-reflection practice. Strong feelings, memories, or physical reactions may arise as you explore your experiences and your relationships. You are responsible for your own emotional and physical safety. Go at your own pace. Take breaks when needed. If you have a trauma history or feel overwhelmed, pause and ground yourself: feel your feet on the floor, notice 5 things in the room, place a hand on your heart, and breathe slowly. This practice is here to help you unpack emotional baggage and move toward connection, not blame, shame, or re-enact harm. Always listen to your body first. READ FULL DISCLAIMER BEFORE YOU START IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY

Use this when

When you feel foggy, tense, overwhelmed, snappy, or “too full,” and you notice that urge to control, shut down, over-talk, or react—shaking can help your body discharge what it’s holding so you can come back to yourself.

Ingredients

• Journal + pen (or notes app)
• 5–7 minute timer
• Optional: water, tissues, something comforting

Safety

If you feel flooded and overwhelmed with emotions, shorten this to 2 minutes, slow your exhales, and orient to the room (Name a few colors, shapes and sounds. Notice your feet on the ground. Get up and shake your body or any other exercise that brings you calm). If it still feels too intense, stop and reach for support.

Opening: Heart-Breath 

Before you begin, bring one (or both) hands to your heart center.

If it feels supportive, gently close your eyes (or soften your gaze). Imagine your breath can travel all the way into your heart space—like you’re breathing through your chest instead of only into your lungs.

Now take three heart-breaths:
Inhale slowly and gently into your heart…
Exhale slowly from your heart…
(Repeat two more times.)

As you breathe, silently say:
“In.” (as you inhale)
“Here.” (as you exhale)

Notice what you feel under your hands: warmth, pressure, tightness, numbness, or nothing at all. Whatever is there is welcome.

Now, open your eyes and slowly look around the room. Let your eyes land on three things you can see. Name them quietly in your mind. Let your nervous system register: “I am here, now.”

Feel your feet on the floor (or notice your body supported by the chair) and take three slow breaths, only as deep as feels comfortable.

Remember: you’re in charge. You can pause, skip steps, or stop at any time.

To finish, place your hands on your heart and say: “Emotions are welcome here. I am willing to meet myself with compassion, and I can stop at any time.”

The 3-Step Experiment

Step 1: Name the moment (2 minutes)

Set the timer for two minutes and then write in your journal or note pad and then fill in the blanks. Write from your heart. Don't worry about spelling and grammar. When the time is up move to step two.

“Right now my body feels ________ (tight, buzzy, heavy, numb, hot, shaky, restless).”

“Right now I feel ________ (anger, sadness, fear, overwhelm, grief, frustration).”

“What I need most in this moment is ________.”

Step 2: Let the wave move (2 minutes)

Set the timer again for 2 minutes. As the timer runs, begin gentle shaking—small enough that you feel in control.

Options (choose one):

• Shake your hands and wrists (like flicking water off your fingertips).

• Soft bounce in your knees.

• Shake one leg at a time.

• Gentle shoulder shimmy.

As you shake, keep breathing. If you notice you’re holding your breath, make the movement smaller and slow your exhale.

Then answer from your heart (you can write a few words while you pause):

“What happens in my body when I allow a little movement?”

“What emotion is underneath this activation?”

“What would it mean if I don’t have to hold it all in?”

Step 3: Anchor it (1 minute)

Lastly, write down the below sentence and spend 1 minute making a sentence that captures what you’re choosing as you come back to connection.

“I am choosing to release what I’m holding because ________.”

I invite you to write this statement down and allow it to be your guiding light as you practice feeling and releasing. It can serve as a touchstone on the days that feel hard.

Closing: Put it in a box to come back to later

To end this practice, it can be supportive to let your nervous system know the emotional processing is complete for now.

First, slow everything down: stop shaking and place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Take three slow breaths, longer exhales than inhales.

Now imagine placing whatever came up into a box. You don’t have to solve it right now—you’re simply letting your system know: “Noted. Held. Contained.”

Thank yourself for what showed up (memories, images, sensations) and for being here with you.

Remind yourself, “I can go slowly. I get to choose what I look at next and when.” If emotions are still releasing, allow your body to do what it needs to do, shaking, crying, sweating, yawning, or laughing, and let the wave move through you without forcing it or stopping it, if you have the time and space.

When you feel complete, place a hand on your heart and say, “That was one small step toward choosing connection.”

Nurture and Integrate

Can you go for a short walk and get some fresh air right now, if not later on? Take some space to process more and integrate this recipe.

Over the next week, notice what shifts for you, maybe you recover faster after getting triggered, feel less tension in your body, or find it easier to pause before reacting. It’s not your fault; you’re learning, and your kids are lucky to have you as their parent.

Affirmation: (Optional)

Choose one affirmation to take into your day or week. Write it on a sticky note and post it somewhere you will see it. Read it as many times as you can remember each day.

“I can feel what I feel and stay in connection.”
“I can pause, let the wave move, and come back.”
“I am doing my best and taking responsibility to support myself more and more each day.”

Want to go deeper?

This is just a taste. In the FREE guide, you’ll go deeper by learning the five pathways of emotional release and how to practice them safely—so you can build trust with your body and keep moving toward connection.

Understanding Emotional Release (FREE GUIDE PDF)

Peace & Love, Julie
Emotional Release: The Missing Peace