Quick Instructions For The 90-Second Pit Stop

Use the 90-Second Pit Stop to help manage anxiety, stress, and challenging moments. The pit stop is divided into three things you can do for each 30-second interval, which will help to get you grounded, get out of the monkey mind, get out of fight/flight, and move forward with your day aligned with your values and intentions. If you benefit from this teaching, or any of the content here on Insight Timer, please consider using the Linktree link to subscribe to the free mental health newsletter.

Transcript

So I'm going to wrap this module up with what I call the 90-second pit stop. This is the 90-second pit stop, And this can be used anytime during your day, Anytime something difficult or challenging comes up that you need some help processing or working through. And so it's broken up into thirds. The first 30 seconds is about getting grounded and getting centered. That means, Okay, I'm frustrated, I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm getting overwhelmed. I need to take the 90-second pit stop. My body, My heart rate is elevated, My palms are sweating, My jaw is clenched, My shoulders are tight. Whatever your body is telling you, Whatever signals your body is giving you, Pay attention to. That's your cue to start the 90-second pit stop. Okay, The first 30 seconds, Get grounded and centered. What does that mean? That means notice gravity doing what gravity does. So if you're sitting down, Notice your butt touching the chair. Notice the feeling of your butt making contact with the chair. Notice the feeling of your feet on the floor, On the ground. Notice your hands touching your lap. You can even get refined and notice the sensation of your clothes touching your skin, Or maybe the feeling of your glasses on your nose and your ears. This is gravity at work, And by bringing your awareness into gravity, You're getting out of the monkey mind a little bit, You're getting into the body, You're getting grounded, You're getting centered, And that's the first step to working with difficulty and challenges like anxiety or difficult emotions. The second 30 seconds, Breath work. Take a deep inhale and an even deeper exhale. Do that three or five or ten times for at least 30 seconds. Long inhales, But even longer, More exaggerated exhales. This is getting out of the fight or flight mode and into rest and digest. This is tricking the nervous system from getting out of fight or flight, Because who breathes like this if there's actually danger? Those long, Exaggerated exhales gets the nervous system back online, And then the last 30 seconds, Set some intentions, Engage in some nurturing self-talk. How do I want to deal with this? Okay, This is just anxiety. I've dealt with anxiety before. I can do it again. Or I know this sucks, But keep going. You can do this. I've done it before. Or however you might talk to your best friend who was dealing with a similar situation or an identical situation to this one, Practice some self-talk to yourself in a way that you would talk to your best friend. I hear you. I know this sucks. But you're okay. This is normal. This is just difficulty at work. This is just a challenging personal relationship. This is just you being hard on yourself. You're okay. You can do this. And set an intention of how you want to go through the rest of your day that is in aligned with self-care, With your values, And taking care of yourself.

Reviews

Excellent talk! I will remember the 90 second pit stop. Appreciate you sharing this tip.

Best information to hear this morning, and start my day.... thank you 😊

Thanks for sharing these simple but powerful strategies. 🙏

Thank you, Namaste

A great little coaching session. Thanks!