Hit pause.
Stop for a second.
Not forever,
Not dramatically,
Just long enough to interrupt the stress spiral you're in right now.
Whatever has your attention so tightly can loosen its grip for a few minutes.
Nothing bad happens when you pause,
In fact this is how your system resets.
You didn't end up here by accident.
If you're stressed it's because you've been carrying more than you're meant to carry alone.
That doesn't mean you're failing,
It means you're human.
This is not a meditation that asks you to sit perfectly still or clear your mind.
You don't need to chase calm,
You don't need to convince yourself everything's fine.
All you need to do is show up and let your body take the lead.
So settle in to whatever position you're in and just let yourself land.
Feel everything around you,
Really feel it.
That solid support is real and it's not going anywhere,
You can lean into it.
Now notice your breath,
Don't adjust it yet,
Just notice it.
Even in the middle of stress your body keeps breathing.
That's resilience in action,
That's proof something steady exists beneath the noise.
When you're ready let your next exhale be longer than your inhale,
Just slightly.
That small shift tells your nervous system it can stand down.
You're not in danger,
You're not being chased,
You're allowed to slow.
And as you begin to slow you can scan your body quickly.
Just notice your jaw and unclench it if you need to,
Drop your shoulders,
Notice your hands if they're gripping hard and just release that.
You don't need to relax everything,
Just soften areas of your body that perhaps are feeling a bit more tense than others.
Small changes add up.
Remember that stress thrives on urgency,
It tells you everything needs attention right now,
But right now only this moment matters and this moment is manageable.
If your thoughts start firing off about plans,
Worries or worst-case scenarios,
Don't wrestle them,
Let them talk.
You're not required to respond,
So bring your attention back to your body,
Back to breathing,
Back to being here.
Take another steady breath in and let it out slowly.
And with that exhale imagine releasing just 10% of the weight you're carrying,
Not all of it,
You don't need to be dramatic,
10% is enough to feel a difference.
Just stay here doing this 10% at a time for a few breaths and feel your body settle,
Feel the pace slowing.
This is what regulation feels like,
Not instant calm,
Not silence,
Just less noise and more space.
So return to whatever comes next with more clarity and less tension,
And you can return to this exercise whenever you need to,
Whenever things feel a little bit too much.
If the stress creeps back in later that's okay,
Just remember that you know how to pause now,
You can always hit pause.
