Welcome to this practice designed to help you intentionally transition from the demands of your workday into your personal life.
Listen at the end of the day,
After work,
In a space where you won't be interrupted,
And of course,
Not while driving.
So often,
We rush out of work without truly leaving it,
Only to find ourselves still carrying the conversations,
Tension,
Or unfinished thoughts into the spaces meant for connection and rest.
This practice is here to help you intentionally set your work down,
To honor your experience,
To notice where the day is still being held in your body,
And then to consciously return to yourself with the ultimate goal of maintaining your mental wellness.
I'm Susan Guttridge,
And I appreciate you making the time to care for yourself as you finish work for the day.
Take a deep breath in,
Slightly longer,
Exhale out,
Just letting go of all that came before this,
Arriving here in this one moment.
And as we get ready to begin,
Take a moment to ground yourself,
Feeling your feet on the floor or your sit bones comfortably resting in a chair.
You can close your eyes if it feels right for you.
This practice unfolds in five simple steps,
Each one assisting you in setting down the day.
Let's begin with the first.
Turn your attention inward and ask yourself,
What emotions are still here from today?
Do you notice any stress,
Frustration,
Lingering worry,
Irritation,
Fatigue?
Whatever is present,
Just let it be present.
No need to judge it,
No need to fix it,
No need to make meaning of it.
Simply allowing is enough.
If today was heavy,
Just notice that.
If something caught in your chest or in your thoughts,
Notice that too.
No suppressing,
No analyzing,
Just acknowledging.
Sometimes the simple act of noticing is what allows emotion to move.
Take a breath.
And exhaling out.
And moving on to the next layer.
Bring your focus to your body,
Just scanning from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
What do you notice is still living from your day within you?
Perhaps tension in your shoulders,
Tightness in your chest,
Heaviness in your limbs,
A subtle holding of your jaw or stomach muscles.
And if it's okay,
Choose one place that is calling your attention.
And as you breathe in,
Imagine the air flowing all the way to that space.
And as you breathe out,
Imagine the tension leaving,
The muscles relaxing,
Even just 5% of it.
Not forcing,
Just allowing a small shift.
And again,
Take an intentional inhale in deeply.
And slightly longer exhale out,
Just letting that tension soften slightly more.
Just noticing your body in this way is already an act of care,
And care creates space.
Moving on to the next layer now,
Shift your awareness to your thoughts.
Are there any conversations replaying,
Moments you wish had gone differently,
Self-criticism,
Unfinished to-do lists,
Mental rehearsal?
Just letting those thoughts drift outside of your mind so that you can notice them more fully,
Like clouds moving across the sky.
Moving them outside of your mind creates more distance,
And picturing them as clouds reminds you that you can't step into them,
You can only watch them as they float by.
Thoughts are just events in the mind,
They're not permanent,
They are not your identity.
If there's one that feels loud or nagging at you,
I invite you to just let it float outside of your mind.
Floating upwards into the sky,
Like a cloud getting farther and farther away.
The words disappearing,
The cloud floating away.
Your feet fully anchored in this one present moment.
Noticing your breath as you inhale in,
Slightly longer exhale out.
And moving on now to the next layer,
You might want to come back to this one or pause the track.
This one is about physically marking the end of your workday,
So if possible,
Take a shower or wash your hands and face.
And as the water flows over your skin,
Fully experience it.
The temperature,
The sound,
The scent of the soap.
Watch the water move from your skin.
Each water droplet washing away the residue of the day,
Carrying any stress,
Tension,
Mental noise down the drain.
And I invite you to notice the exact moment you decide this is where work ends.
This is a conscious boundary,
A ritual of release.
By doing so,
You are not abandoning responsibility,
You are creating sustainability.
And in this moment,
You are allowed to let go.
Now as you settle into this calmer space,
Let's close with the final layer of this practice.
Allowing yourself to hear the following words,
Repeating them back to yourself in your mind's eye.
May I be safe.
May I be healthy.
May I be at peace.
May I be supported.
Let these intentions remind you that even after the hardest days,
You are worthy of compassion and renewal.
Allow them to wrap around you like a reassuring hug,
Reinforcing the strength and resilience within you while honoring the care you so deserve.
Strength and self-care can co-exist in vital ways.
They depend on one another.
As we come to the end of this practice,
I invite you to anchor this in something you carry with you every day.
Glance down at your hand.
Let each finger become a quiet reminder of this practice.
So for your thumb,
The first layer,
What emotions are here?
Index finger,
Where is my body holding the day?
Middle finger,
Acknowledge the thoughts moving through.
Ring finger,
A symbolic release to mark the end of your workday.
And tiny finger,
Offering yourself compassion.
Five fingers,
Five small movements to put down the day.
A simple,
Portable ritual you can return to at the end of any shift.
All right,
Take a deep breath in.
Slightly longer,
Exhale out.
Notice what feels different,
Even if that shift is small.
Even just five percent,
That matters.
These intentional transitions out of the workday matter because the way you leave work influences how you arrive at home.
Thank you for being here.
May you be well.
