Somatic Self-Compassion: Nervous System Down-Regulation for High-Anxiety Cycle Shifts
During the late luteal window, falling progesterone can diminish natural GABAergic buffering, leaving the emotional brain sensitized to stress and negative self-talk.
Somatic psychology research from UC Berkeley demonstrates that somatic soothing—holding one’s own hands, wrapping in a weighted blanket, and speaking in a calm vocal tone—releases oxytocin and lowers heart rate variability metrics, softening premenstrual anxiety without cognitive resistance.
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