Wherever you are,
In a quiet room,
A parked car,
A break room,
Even a bathroom,
You can do this practice.
It is small but real and your nervous system will respond.
Start by planting your feet flat on the floor.
Feel the ground beneath you.
Press down gently and notice that the floor pushes back.
That's stability.
Take one long,
Slow breath in through your nose for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
The extended exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system,
Turning on the relaxation response.
Do this again.
Breathe in two,
Three,
Four,
And out two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Now let your gaze soften.
If your eyes are open,
Allow them to go slightly out of focus,
As if you're looking at the middle distance.
If they're closed,
Allow the darkness behind your eyelids to feel spacious rather than tight.
This signals safety to your nervous system.
Now,
Bring your attention to five things you can physically sense right now,
Not mentally catalog,
Actually sense.
The temperature of the air on your skin,
The texture of your clothing,
The weight of your body where it makes contact with your chair or the floor,
A sound in the room,
The faint rhythm of your own heartbeat if you listen.
You are here.
This moment is real,
And in this moment,
You are okay.
Notice if your jaw is tight.
Allow it to soften.
Notice your shoulders and invite them down away from your ears.
Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
Feel the rise and fall of your breath.
Just breathe.
Your nervous system is not broken.
It is doing exactly what it was designed to do,
Scanning for threat and trying to protect you.
The message we're sending it right now is we've checked and we're okay.
You can rest just for right now.
Stay here for another minute,
Breathing slowly,
Feeling the ground beneath you,
Hands on your body.
You don't have to solve anything.
You don't have to figure anything out.
You just have to breathe.
When you are ready,
Take one final long exhale and then return to your day a little more settled than when you started.
