Hi love and welcome.
I'm really glad you pressed play.
This short practice is here for one simple reason.
To give you a moment to pause.
To come back to yourself.
And to remember that you're allowed to be human,
Not a machine.
You don't have to be calm already.
You don't have to be in the right mood.
You just have to be here.
If it feels okay,
Let your eyes soften or gently close.
And start by noticing your breath just as it is.
No need to change anything.
Take a gentle breath in through your nose.
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Let your shoulders drop a tiny bit.
Let your jaw loosen.
Let your belly soften.
Even if it's only one percent.
Good.
Most of us live on momentum.
We wake up and we're already moving.
The mind starts planning.
The body starts tightening.
And the day pulls us along before we've really arrived.
This little practice is a way of interrupting that pattern.
A tiny doorway back home to yourself.
Let's step through that doorway now.
Place one hand on your chest,
Your belly or anywhere that feels natural and comforting.
Feel the warmth of your hand.
Feel your body meeting your hand from the inside.
Take a slow inhale through your nose.
And a longer,
Softer exhale through your mouth.
Almost like you're sighing.
And quietly,
Inside yourself,
Say,
I'm here.
And another easy breath in.
Then repeat inside.
I'm allowed to pause.
Feel how your body responds to those words.
You don't have to force anything.
Just notice.
Maybe your shoulders release a little.
Maybe your breath deepens.
Maybe nothing seems to change and that's okay too.
The pause still counts.
You still showed up.
Let's gently bring some awareness to where tension lives right now.
Let's start with your forehead.
Notice if you're frowning or holding a lot there.
If it feels right,
Let your forehead smooth out.
Bring your attention to the space around your eyes.
Let your eyelids be heavy or soft.
Let the muscles around your eyes rest.
Now,
Notice your jaw.
Is it clenched?
Can you let your teeth part slightly and allow a little space there?
Take a breath in.
And on your exhale,
Imagine releasing some of that tension downward.
Move your awareness to your shoulders.
Notice if they're lifted or braced for action.
See if they can drop just a few millimeters.
You don't have to collapse.
Just let them sit a bit closer to where gravity wants them.
Now,
Feel the weight of your body wherever you're resting.
On a chair,
Your bed,
The floor.
Let yourself be supported.
You don't have to hold everything up right now.
Not with your muscles.
Not with your mind.
Take another slow breath in through your nose.
And a soft exhale through your mouth.
I will add a simple phrase to this pause.
A way of speaking to yourself with a little more kindness.
With your hands still resting on your body,
Quietly say inside,
I'm doing the best I can.
And let that sentence land.
You don't have to fully believe it yet.
You're just letting your nervous system hear it.
Breathe in.
Again,
I'm doing the best I can,
Given where I am with what I have today.
Notice if there is any part of you that softens around that.
Maybe your chest feels a bit more spacious.
Maybe your breath feels more natural.
Maybe you just feel tired,
Which is also information.
Whatever is here is welcome.
For the next few breaths,
I want you to practice the full self-love pause.
Notice your body.
Place a hand somewhere that feels kind.
Take one slow,
Steady breath.
And repeat one phrase.
You can choose your phrase now.
Here are some options.
Pick the one that feels closest to true.
I'm here.
Take the next few moments to breathe.
And repeat your phrase inside.
Beautiful.
You've just created a new pattern.
A tiny moment where you didn't abandon yourself.
Where you chose to check in instead of pushing through.
This is self-love in real time.
Not a big performance.
Just a small,
Honest meeting with yourself.
Before we close,
Take one last slow breath in.
And exhale fully,
Letting a little more weight sink into the support.
Beneath you.
Let your hand gently relax back down.
And if your eyes were closed,
You can start to blink them open.
And let the room come back into focus.
And remember,
You can return to this self-love pause anytime.
In the kitchen,
At your desk,
In the bathroom,
On a walk.
You only need one breath.
One hand on your body.
And one kind.
If you'd like to go deeper with this,
To explore more tiny daily actions that rebuild self-trust and self-love,
You're so welcome to join my course here on Inside Timer,
Called Cultivating Self-Love Through Tiny Daily Actions.
In the course,
We explore micro-moments of presence,
Listening to your body,
Setting kind boundaries and gently becoming someone who treats themselves with care.
One small step at a time.
But for now,
Know that this pause was enough.
You were enough.
I'll see you soon.
