The Fastest Way to Calm Your Brain Isn’t Thinking Harder, It’s Moving Your Body

When anxiety hits, many women try to reason their way out of it. Dr. Wendy Suzuki joins The Tamsen Show to offer a different starting point, physiology first.

Dr. Suzuki explains that anxiety activates the sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as fight or flight. On the flip side of that system is the parasympathetic nervous system, often called rest and digest. The key to calming anxiety lies in shifting the nervous system state, not arguing with thoughts.

One of the most effective tools, according to Dr. Suzuki, is movement. She states on The Tamsen Show podcast that even 10 minutes of walking has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression immediately, with effects lasting from 30 minutes to several hours.

Movement works because it releases neurochemicals including serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and endorphins. Dr. Suzuki describes this as giving the brain a “bubble bath” of feel-good neurotransmitters. These are the same systems targeted by many antidepressant medications, but exercise activates them naturally.

Cardiovascular activity has the strongest evidence for brain benefits, according to Dr. Suzuki. Any movement that raises heart rate counts, brisk walking, dancing, strength training performed with intensity. She emphasizes consistency over perfection and enjoyment over optimization.

When movement isn’t possible at the moment, Dr. Suzuki recommends deep breathing techniques. Box breathing, inhaling, holding, exhaling, and holding again for equal counts, activates the parasympathetic nervous system and lowers heart rate. This method has been widely studied for stress regulation (Harvard Health Publishin g, 2021).

The deeper message is empowering: Anxiety doesn’t require complicated solutions, the brain responds quickly to simple physical inputs.

If you want to learn more, listen to this episode of The Tamsen Show.