A Safety Reset For Work - Pause. Breathe. Decide Clearly

This short breathing exercise is designed for workers who need to slow down, refocus, and make safer decisions on the job.
When stress rises, breathing speeds up — and that’s when mistakes happen. This practice helps you pause before acting, calm your nervous system, and bring your attention back to the task in front of you.
Use this breath:
Before making an important decision
After a stressful interaction
When you feel rushed, overwhelmed, or distracted
Before returning to safety-critical work
Important safety note:
This exercise is done seated or standing still. Do not use while driving, operating machinery, working at heights, or performing any active task. If you feel light-headed at any point, return to normal breathing.

Transcript

Pause what you're doing.

Plant your feet on the floor.

Let your shoulders drop.

Close your mouth,

All breathing through the nose now.

Take one natural inhale and one slow exhale,

Like you're releasing pressure from a valve.

The goal isn't to relax completely,

It's to steady yourself.

We'll use a simple pattern.

We'll breathe in for five seconds and out for five seconds.

Both through the nose and with the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.

I will count you in.

In three,

Two,

One.

Breathe in,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

In,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Keep going for me.

Don't force the air.

The quieter the better.

You might notice a gentle urge to breathe a bit more.

That's mild carbon dioxide tolerance training.

It's safe and deliberate.

As carbon dioxide rises,

Blood vessels widen,

Allowing better oxygen delivery to the brain and muscles.

Your heart rate slows and blood pressure eases towards baseline.

Stay in the rhythm.

As you exhale,

Imagine clearing static from a radio signal.

Each breath sharpening your awareness.

You're calming your fight or flight or sympathetic drive while keeping enough alertness to think clearly.

Every time you repeat this breathing pattern,

Your nervous system learns something useful.

How to return to composure fast.

You're teaching your body to associate control with stillness,

Not force.

Let go of the counting now.

Let your breathing find its own rhythm,

Still through the nose,

Still light.

Notice the quiet inside your body,

The small spaces between breaths.

That's your nervous system shifting gears.

Heart rate settling,

Blood pressure easing,

Oxygen moving where it's needed.

Feel your pulse,

Not racing,

Just steady.

That rhythm is your body signaling safety.

When you reach this point,

Your brain's decision center starts running the show again.

You think clearer,

Hear better,

And respond,

Not react,

In the best way.

Stay with us for one or two more natural breaths.

You've come back to baseline,

Calm,

Alert,

Ready.

Before every safe or sound decision,

There's a steady breath.

Let this one be yours.