Monday Calm: Reset Your Nervous System in Two Minutes

Good morning. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here with me today. It's Monday, late April, and if you're anything like the people I talk to, Mondays have a way of winding us up before the day even really starts. Maybe you woke up with that flutter in your chest, or perhaps the anxiety crept in quietly while you were checking your phone. Either way, you're here now, and that's exactly where you need to be. Let's take the next few minutes to find some genuine calm together.Before we dive in, I want you to find a comfortable seat wherever you are right now. Maybe that's on your couch, at your desk, or even in your car during a work break. There's no wrong place for this. Just somewhere you can be still for a little bit. Go ahead and settle in. Notice your feet on the ground. Feel the chair or cushion supporting you. You're safe right now, in this moment.Now, let's start with something I call the reset breath. This isn't about forcing anything or doing it perfectly. Simply breathe in through your nose for a count of four, hold it gently for four, and exhale through your mouth for six. That longer exhale tells your nervous system that you're safe. That you can relax. Let's do that together. In for four, hold, and out for six. Again. In for four, hold, and out for six. Beautiful.Now we're going to practice what I call grounding through the senses. This is my favorite technique for when anxiety tries to pull you into what ifs and maybes. I want you to notice five things you can see right now. Maybe it's the color of your walls, the pattern on your clothes, light coming through a window. Just name them silently to yourself. Now four things you can feel. The texture beneath your fingers, the temperature of the air on your skin, the weight of your body in your seat. Three things you can hear, even if it's subtle. Traffic, birds, the hum of your surroundings. Two things you can smell. And finally, one thing you can taste, even if it's just the inside of your mouth. This practice anchors you to right now, to what's real and present. Anxiety lives in tomorrow. Your senses live in today.Take a few more breaths here, letting yourself feel steady. You've just given yourself a real gift. This technique takes less than two minutes, but you can use it anytime today when anxiety shows up.Thank you so much for joining me on Anxiety Relief Daily: Mindfulness Techniques for Inner Calm. Please subscribe so you don't miss tomorrow's practice. You deserve this time for yourself.For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWTThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AIThis episode includes AI-generated content.