Hello,
Hello and welcome.
I am truly grateful that you're here with me today,
Taking this time just for yourself.
In a busy world,
This already is an act of self-care,
Choosing to pause,
Choosing to listen,
Choosing to nurture your mental health.
We live in a world that rarely slows down.
Notifications,
Emails,
Deadlines,
Constant comparisons on social media.
Many of us wake up already feeling behind.
Before we've even taken our first sip of coffee,
Our mind is running through the day ahead,
The tasks,
The people,
The responsibilities.
This constant rush takes a toll,
Not just on the body,
But also on the mind.
We lose touch with ourselves.
We forget to notice small joys.
We carry tension in our shoulders,
Tightness in our jaw,
Restlessness in our thoughts.
So let's begin right here,
Right now.
Let's give ourselves a small pause.
Close your eyes if you like.
Take a slow,
Gentle inhale.
Hold it softly for a moment and exhale with a sigh.
Do this one more time.
Inhale deeply,
Feel your lungs expanding and inhale,
Exhale slowly,
Letting your shoulders drop just a little more.
This is the power of awareness.
With just two breaths,
You can feel different.
And if two breaths can do this,
Imagine what one minute or even five minutes could bring into your day.
When we think of mental health,
We often imagine therapy,
Long retreats or special practices.
And while those can be beautiful,
Mental health is not separate from daily life.
It is built inside daily life.
It is in how you drink your morning tea without rushing.
It is in how you allow yourself to rest five minutes without guilt.
It is in how you notice the trees,
The sky or even the simple feeling of your feet touching the ground.
These are small things,
Yes,
But repeated daily,
They change the way your nervous system responds to stress.
You begin to carry an inner calm with you even when life is busy.
Let me share something from my own experience.
Not long ago,
I was working intensely many hours in front of the screen.
My body was tense,
But I ignored it.
One day,
I noticed I was holding my breath,
Literally holding it as I typed.
My body was screaming for pause,
But my mind wanted to keep pushing.
So I stopped.
I placed my hands on my stomach,
Closed my eyes and just breathed deeply for a few moments.
At first,
It felt strange,
Almost uncomfortable to do nothing.
But slowly,
I felt my body softening,
My shoulders dropping.
That little pause changed my whole afternoon.
I was more focused,
Calmer and kinder with myself.
And I realized this is mental health.
Not something far away,
But something we woven into daily life.
Let's try this together now.
Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
As you inhale,
Feel the rise of your belly and chest.
As you exhale,
Feel your body soften.
Take three slow breaths like this.
Notice,
Can you sense a shift?
Maybe a little more space,
A little more calm?
These tiny moments tell your nervous system you are safe.
You don't have to live in constant fight-or-flight mode.
Calm is available,
Even in the middle of stress.
Think of it like building muscle.
One single exercise won't change your body.
But repeated,
Consistent practice builds strength.
It's the same with mental health.
Each pause,
Each breath,
Each small act of awareness builds resilience over time.
Now I want to speak about something important.
Perfectionism in mental health.
Sometimes we put pressure on ourselves to always be calm,
Always be positive or never feel stressed again.
But that's not realistic.
Life is messy.
You will feel overwhelmed.
You will feel tired.
You will feel angry and that is human.
Mental health is not about avoiding these emotions.
It's about learning to notice them,
Accept them and gently guide yourself back to balance.
You don't need to be perfect.
You don't need to be zen all the time.
You only need to be willing to come back again and again to yourself,
To your body,
To this moment.
Take a moment now to ask yourself,
What is one small thing that helps me feel calm?
When was the last time I gave myself permission to rest?
Could I add just one mindful pause into my daily routine?
Even reflecting on these questions is already a step toward better mental health.
Here's an idea for the coming days.
Choose one ordinary activity,
Like brushing your teeth,
Drinking water or walking to your car and turn it into a mindful pause.
Do it slowly.
Notice the sensations.
Notice your breath.
It doesn't take extra time.
It only takes presence.
And over time,
These small mindful moments wave into a new pattern in your life.
Let's breathe once more together.
Inhale slowly through the nose.
Exhale softly through the mouth.
Feel the ground beneath your feet.
Feel the weight of your body supported.
Notice that in this very moment,
There is nothing you need to fix,
Nothing you need to achieve.
Simply being here is enough.
So as you step back into your day,
Remember this.
Calm is not somewhere far away.
You don't need a retreat.
You don't need silence.
You don't need the perfect conditions.
Calm is inside you.
Wetting in each breath,
In each pause,
In each gentle moment of awareness.
Mental health is not a destination.
It's a practice.
One choice,
One breath,
One small act of kindness toward yourself at a time.
Thank you so much for sharing this time with me today.
Carry this calm with you and whenever you need,
You can always return to your breath,
Your body,
To the here and now.
