Hey.
Come and sit down for a few minutes.
Let your shoulders drop...
they've probably been up near your ears for a while.
You might be carrying something heavy today.
That's alright.
We'll look at it together.
Breathe in through your nose...
And let the breath fall out of you, slowly.
One more.
In...
And out.
Picture a circle drawn in chalk on the ground in front of you.
Inside it go the things you can actually do something about.
Your next small step.
Whether you go to bed at a decent hour tonight.
Outside the circle...
everything else.
What other people think of you.
That reply you're still waiting on.
Now
think of the thing that's been bothering you.
Where does it sit?
Inside...
or outside?
Maybe part of it is inside, and part of it isn't.
That's normal.
Keep the part you can hold.
The rest can stay out there for now.
Let's use the breath to set things down.
Breathe in...
and notice what you're gripping.
Breathe out...
and loosen your hold, even a little.
In again...
And out...
letting the outside things stay outside.
Notice your hands.
If they're clenched, open them.
Let your palms face up.
You don't have to let go all at once.
A little looser is enough.
Now imagine you're sitting on a grassy bank beside a slow stream.
Leaves drift past on the water, one at a time.
When a thought comes up...
a worry, a what-if...
place it on a leaf.
And watch it float away downstream.
If the same thought comes back, that's fine.
Put it on another leaf.
You don't have to push the leaves along.
The water does that part.
Some leaves are big.
Some are tiny.
They all go the same way.
I can care about this...
and still let it be.
I only need to handle what's in front of me.
Just rest by the water now.
Nothing to solve.
Slowly come back to where you are.
Feel your feet on the floor.
When the heavy stuff shows up again later, you can remember the circle...
and the stream.
Take a full breath in...
And out.
Open your eyes
when you're ready.