Somatic Practices to Help Students Manage Burnout from Academic Pressure

Breathwork helps reset the nervous system and restore calm in academic settings.

In schools, classrooms, and youth programs across the country, students are feeling the weight of relentless academic expectations. From standardized testing to overloaded schedules and performance anxiety, the pressure to succeed can manifest in physical, emotional, and psychological fatigue.

Burnout, once a term used primarily in adult workspaces, is now alarmingly common among youth. Fortunately, there is a pathway back to balance, rooted not in pushing harder, but in tuning inward - somatic practices.

Here’s a detailed guide on why somatic-centered learning offers accessible, restorative ways for students to cope with academic stress and reclaim agency over their well-being.

Understanding Academic Burnout

Academic burnout isn’t just about being tired. It’s the cumulative result of chronic stress, unmet emotional needs, perfectionism, and a disconnection from joy. Students experiencing burnout often report:

• Persistent fatigue

• Decreased motivation or sense of accomplishment

• Difficulty concentrating

• Emotional numbness or irritability

• Physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches

In educational systems that value performance over people, students, especially those from historically marginalized communities, are often expected to “tough it out.” However, ignoring these signs can lead to deeper mental health struggles, disconnection from learning, and long-term harm to young people’s self-worth.

To address burnout at its roots, we need healing-centered approaches that help students reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and access their innate resilience. That’s where somatic practices come in.

What Are Somatic Practices?

“Somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning “the body.” Somatic practices are grounded in the understanding that our physical body holds memory, emotion, and truth. They involve tuning into bodily sensations as a way of increasing self-awareness, regulating emotions, and restoring equilibrium.

Unlike purely cognitive strategies, somatic tools recognize that stress and trauma are held in the body. They support individuals in releasing that tension, not by analyzing it, but by feeling it, moving it, and listening deeply to what the body needs.

These practices don’t require expensive equipment or advanced training. They can be simple, accessible, and adaptable to classroom environments, afterschool programs, or even virtual spaces.

Why Somatics Matter for Students

Young people are often taught to intellectualize their problems or suppress discomfort in order to perform well. This detachment from the body can lead to a sense of disempowerment, where students ignore warning signs until it’s too late.

When students learn to:

• Notice their breath

• Identify areas of tension

• Practice grounding

• Move in ways that bring joy or calm

…they build a bridge back to themselves. This helps them not only survive academic pressures but meet challenges with presence, clarity, and choice.

Breathwork for Regulation

One of the most powerful (and free) tools we have is our breath. Breathwork is a foundational practice of somatic-centered learning that helps regulate the nervous system, calm the mind, and reduce anxiety.

When students experience stress, their breathing becomes shallow and fast, activating the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, or freeze). Breathwork reverses this by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest).

Here are three accessible techniques:

1. Box Breathing

Inhale for 4 counts → Hold for 4 → Exhale for 4 → Hold for 4.Repeat for several cycles. This helps reset the body’s stress response and restore focus.

2. Hand on Heart

Place one hand on the heart, one on the belly. Take slow breaths and feel the rise and fall. This encourages a sense of safety and connection.

3. Sighing Exhales

Inhale through the nose, then exhale with a big audible sigh. Let the shoulders drop. This quick release can melt tension instantly.

These tools can be woven into transitions between classes, study sessions, or even exams.

Movement as Medicine

Movement-based healing transforms classrooms into spaces of joy and balance.

Movement helps release stored stress, restore energy, and bring students into the present moment. But it doesn’t have to look like gym class or yoga.

Somatic movement invites students to:

• Stretch or shake out limbs

• Sway to music

• Bounce gently in place

• Lie down and rock side to side

It’s about feeling into the body, not performing for others.

In Creative Praxis’s Burnout & Compassion Fatigue training, we invite participants to incorporate movement and play into daily routine as essential acts of care and burnout prevention. For students, movement is both an expression and a regulation tool. It can be joyful, cathartic, or calming depending on what their body needs.

Grounding Through Body Awareness

 

Body awareness activities support emotional regulation and self-advocacy in youth.

Burnout often creates a sense of being overwhelmed or disconnected. Body awareness practices help bring students back into the here and now, reminding them they have agency over their experience.

Try this simple grounding practice:

• Sit or stand with feet on the floor.

• Press down gently and notice the sensation of support beneath you.

• Wiggle your toes. Roll your shoulders. Stretch your fingers.

• Ask: What does my body need in this moment?

By guiding students to check in with their bodies regularly, educators promote resilience and self-trust.

Boundaries and Body Autonomy

A critical aspect of burnout prevention is teaching students that their yes and no matter. Somatic work invites students to notice what feels good, what feels draining, and where they need to create space.

In training sessions, we encourage students to:

• Set physical and emotional boundaries

• Listen to their bodies when they feel overstimulated

• Honor their need for rest or breaks

When students learn to advocate for their body’s needs, they gain power. According to research, body-oriented, trauma-informed interventions improve one’s ability to regulate emotions, establish boundaries, and recognize internal cues of overwhelm and stress. These skills are essential for students navigating academic pressure and for cultivating resilience and long-term well-being.

Collective Somatic Care

Somatic tools help students to navigate burnout with resilience and care.

While personal regulation is vital, Creative Praxis centers the idea that healing happens in community. Somatic-centered learning in Philadelphia can be collective, relational, and joyful.

Here are ways to bring somatic care into group settings:

• Start class with a grounding ritual

• Use rhythm or drumming circles to synchronize energy

• Practice group breathing or mirroring exercises

• Create “quiet corners” or sensory spaces for students who need to regulate

When the group shifts toward healing-centered practice, it becomes easier for individuals to feel safe and supported in their own healing journey.

Integrating Somatic Practices Into Learning Spaces

Educators and program leaders don’t need to be somatic therapists to begin this work. It starts with small, intentional shifts:

• Model body awareness: Share when you need a pause or stretch.

• Create permission: Let students know it’s okay to fidget, take breaks, or move around.

• Embed somatics into routines: Start and end the day with check-ins or breathing.

• Practice consistency: The nervous system responds to predictability and care.

It’s also important to adapt practices for culturally responsive training. Not all bodies experience the world the same way. Somatic work should honor each student’s lived experience, cultural background, and accessibility needs.

Burnout Isn’t a Personal Failing

Students need to know: Burnout isn’t your fault. It is a symptom of unjust systems, disconnection, and impossible demands. Somatic-centered learning isn’t about fixing the student; it’s about helping students feel whole again, even in the face of pressure.

Through movement, breath, and community care, students learn to identify their internal cues, advocate for themselves, and tap into their strength. Additionally, when educators embody these practices too, they co-create learning environments that nourish everyone.

Build Resilience through Somatic Healing with Creative Praxis

Creative Praxis leads interactive burnout prevention trainings rooted in body-based wisdom. 

Looking to integrate somatic-centered learning into your classroom or youth program? At Creative Praxis, our Burnout & Compassion Fatigue training promotes burnout prevention for educators, youth workers, and students in reconnecting to the body as a source of healing and strength. With over two decades of global experience, our facilitators guide communities through trauma-informed education and culturally responsive training in Philadelphia, including breathwork, boundaries, play, and movement, to sustain energy, compassion, and joy.

Whether you’re an individual looking for tools or a school leader ready to transform your learning environment, we meet you where you are, with care, courage, and creativity. Let’s build a future where wellness and liberation go hand in hand.

Contact us today or visit our website to explore our trainings, workshops, and community offerings.