Wake Up Anxious? A Morning Nervous System Reset

A short daily practice to start your morning with more calm. Zara Dureno guides you through 4-7-8 breathing, gentle orienting and movement to help your body settle, then closes with a few slow breaths. Something you can add to your morning routine whenever you wake up feeling unsettled. This content is educational and is not a substitute for one to one professional care.

Transcript

This is a daily nervous system practice to start your day with regulation. We are going to begin with four, Seven, Eight breaths. So this is where we breathe in for four, We hold for seven, And we breathe out for eight. We're gonna do this five times, So you can just follow along with me. Feel free to close your eyes or keep them open, Whatever feels most comfortable to you. So let's begin. Breathing in for four. Hold. And out. Breathing in for four all the way into the belly. Hold. And out. Maybe a little smile across your lips as you breathe in. Olds. And out. Breathing in. Hold. And out. One more, Nice and soft. Hold. And out. Wonderful. Now gently opening your eyes. We're going to orient around the room. So just notice where you are. And allow your eyes to land on something that feels comforting. That sparks your interest. That maybe helps you to feel a little bit more regulated. Just notice maybe a plant. Or a beautiful picture. Bringing yourself into this moment, We're going to say to ourselves, I am safe enough here in this environment. And then you can put your hand over your chest. I am safe enough in my body. I am safe enough in this environment, In this moment. And I am safe enough in my body. Just notice your body's reaction to that. And we're going to wake up the body a little bit more. We're gonna do a little bit of shaking. So you can decide what you want to do with this. You can shake out your hands. You can shake out your head. Just notice if you want to stand up, You can bounce up and down. Shaking out. Your body noticing what feels good. Taking deep breaths. Bringing energy into the body. We can notice what wants to be released, What comes up when you shake. And then we're going to visualize having a great day. We're gonna imagine going through the rest of your day even 10% happier, With 10% more energy, With 10% less of your normal symptoms that you have. So let's try that. And if you can't visualize, It's totally fine. Just listen to the words that I'm saying and think about it. Now for this exercise, You're more than welcome to close your eyes or you can keep them open, Just soft gaze and something in the room that feels comfortable. So closing your eyes if you'd like, Deep breath into the belly. Long exhale. Just start to imagine the rest of your day. Start to think about the things that you need to do today. And think about yourself. If you can, Picture yourself. Moving through your day with a bit more energy, With a bit more happiness. Little bit less symptoms. Think about it. To the degree that your mind will allow you to. Maybe 10% more, 50% more, 100% more. What is your brain letting you visualize right now? And if you had more energy, More vitality, More happiness, More joy. How would you move? Would you walk differently? Would you hold yourself differently? Would you talk differently? Just see all of that. Right now. Maybe you laugh more freely. Maybe your posture is different. You interact with people a little bit differently. Just see that all coming to life right now. There may be a smile on your face as you envision this. And imagining that for a few more moments. Seeing your day unfold favorably. A flexible nervous system. And one more breath to solidify this. Wiggling your fingers and toes and then opening your eyes. Thank you so much for practicing with me. I hope you have a wonderful day.