Good morning.
It's Tuesday, November tenth.
Stress doesn't usually show up all at once.
It piles up.
A bill that came in higher...
than you thought it would.
A weird comment from someone at work.
And by Tuesday...
your body is holding a lot of it.
Let's find out where.
Just check in.
Your jaw.
Is it clenched?
Your shoulders.
Are they creeping up?
Your stomach.
Is it tight, like a fist?
Wherever you found it...
that's okay.
Now you know where to look.
You have six minutes here.
Let's let some of it out.
Before the day adds more.
Breathe in through your nose.
Slow and easy.
Now purse your lips.
Like you're blowing through a straw.
And breathe out slowly.
Longer than the in-breath.
Let it take its time.
In through the nose again...
And out through the straw.
Slow and thin.
Feel how the long exhale...
slows everything down.
In...
And out...
all the way to the end.
more.
And out through the straw.
Like the tide pulling back.
Good.
Let the breath back go to normal.
Now we'll squeeze and let go.
One area at a time.
Only as hard as feels okay.
Start with your hands.
Make two tight fists.
Squeeze...
hold it...
three...
two...
one.
And let go.
Let your fingers fall open.
Feel the warmth flooding back in.
That tingle.
That's release.
Now your shoulders.
Pull them up toward your ears.
Higher.
Hold...
three...
two...
one.
And drop them.
Let them fall.
Notice the difference.
They might sit lower than before.
Now your face.
Scrunch it all up.
Like you just bit into a lemon.
Hold...
three...
two...
one.
And release.
Let the lines between your eyebrows melt.
Let your teeth come apart.
Now your legs.
Press your heels into the floor.
Tighten your thighs.
Hold...
three...
two...
one.
let them go soft.
Heavy and loose.
Scan your body once more.
Notice anywhere that still feels tight.
Breathe into that spot.
And let a little more go.
Try these words on for a moment.
I can let go of what I'm holding.
My body knows how to soften.
Rest here now.
In this softer body.
Hear the water rolling in.
And sliding out.
Each one takes a little more with it.
You don't have to push anything away.
The water does that.
Picture your worries as footprints.
Pressed into wet sand.
A wave slides up the beach.
Slides back.
And they're a little fainter now.
Just rest.
Loose and quiet.
The beach fades.
Your own room is back.
Roll your head gently.
Press your palms together once.
Take one easy breath in...
And out through the straw.
Here's something to keep for today.
When stress spikes...
squeeze your fists.
Hold for five seconds.
Then let go.
Stuck in traffic.
Or under the table in Nobody a meeting.
has to know you're doing it.
It's and quick, it's yours.
Feel your hands open.
Let your shoulders Open follow.
your eyes when Go you're ready.
easy on yourself today.