21. Q&A: Somatic Support for Depression, Nighttime Anxiety, Urgency & Parenting Triggers

Written By Brittany Broderick

Have you ever noticed that the harder you try to push through exhaustion, anxiety, or overwhelm, the more stuck you feel? 

In this episode, I explore a theme that runs quietly beneath so many of the struggles we carry: what happens when the nervous system has been in survival mode for too long. When the body reaches its limit, it doesn’t always signal with panic. Sometimes it signals a feeling of depression, low motivation, urgency, or emotional reactivity, especially in seasons of hormonal change, chronic stress, or parenting.

This conversation is an invitation to see these experiences not as problems to fix, but as messages asking for a different kind of support. I talk about how somatic work can gently meet depression and low energy, why anxiety often surfaces in the middle of the night, how urgency becomes a learned survival pattern, and what’s really happening in the body when our kids’ emotions feel overwhelming. 

Rather than giving quick fixes, I offer a nervous-system lens that brings more understanding, choice, and self-trust. Plus, I give you the somatic tools you can start using today to find a greater sense of peace and presence in your life.

If you’ve been feeling confused by your body or frustrated with your reactions, this episode is meant to help you make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface and remind you that your system is not working against you. 

Questions answered:

  1. How can somatic work help with depression? I am going through perimenopause and I feel heavy in my body, I am tired and have no motivation. Any thoughts? 

  2. How can you settle your nervous system when you wake up with anxiety in the middle of the night?

  3. How do you work with healing a sense of urgency? 

  4. Any tips for grounding when triggered by kids?

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Brittany Broderick
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22. Can You Heal Trauma You Don’t Remember?
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20. Somatic Manifesting in 2026: Why You Can’t Build a Dream from Survival Mode