Hello.
Thank you for joining me for this quick stress release break.
You may only have a few minutes,
So let's get started.
Finding yourself in a comfortable position,
Sitting down,
Lying down,
Or maybe you're even standing,
Walking to the next meeting,
Getting your child ready to go to school.
Maybe you have no time at all to take a break,
But you know how important this is.
So you're doing a little mind exercise to help build your resilience and to lower your stress.
So if you are sitting down,
Gently close your eyes,
Have your feet on the floor,
Hands at your side.
If you're lying,
Make yourself comfortable.
And if you're walking,
Take mindful steps,
Start to breathe deeply,
Exhaling all the breath out,
And breathing in deeply for the count of five.
Inhaling two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
And exhaling for five or six,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Two more times just like this,
Inhaling deeply,
Feeling your chest rise,
Your stomach expand,
Allowing your diaphragm to help you take deep breaths.
And as you exhale,
Let everything go.
You may even make some noise or sigh it out.
One more time together,
Inhale deeply through the nose.
And as you exhale,
Allow stress to roll down your shoulders,
Off your fingertips,
Out your breath.
Breathe deeply and naturally for yourself now,
And bring yourself to the present moment.
Whatever is stressing you out,
If you can just stay in the present moment,
It won't feel so overwhelming.
You are safe right here,
Right now.
You may have a lot going on,
But you can control your response.
So breathing and settling,
Allowing the muscles in your face to soften.
Release your jaw if you're clenching or grinding your teeth.
Visualize all the muscles behind the eyes expanding and allowing more space.
Noticing if there's any tension in the back of the head and just take a deep breath and let a wave of relaxation wash over you,
Starting at the crown,
Down the back of the head,
Down the shoulders and the spine,
Allowing all the stress to just drip off you.
Breathing deeply,
Relaxing completely.
Noticing any tension in the neck and the shoulders.
Allow this area to soften.
Relaxing your chest and your stomach,
Releasing any muscles,
Let your belly go.
Breathing,
Settling,
Knowing you are okay and you will get through this breath by breath.
Allow your spine and your lower back to soften,
Almost like a rope unwinding.
Noticing if you're clenching your hands or your toes and allow these areas to be soft,
Relaxed.
Taking a deep breath in again and allowing your entire body to settle and relax,
Being present right here,
Right now.
Exhaling all the tension out,
The fears,
Whatever your stressors are.
Now finally,
Come to your heart area and think of one thing that gives you pleasure or joy.
It could be an animal,
A loved one.
It could be a warm shower,
A sunrise or sunset.
Think of one thing that brings you joy and visualize it and notice how you feel in your heart area.
As you see this in your mind's eye,
Allow that feeling in your chest to expand,
Filling up your whole body with warmth,
Love,
Tenderness,
Compassion,
Peace.
Let's end our time together with two deep breaths,
Exhaling everything out,
Inhaling deeply for the count of five and exhaling completely for the count of five or six,
Sighing it out,
Letting it all go,
Feeling yourself relaxed and ready to start your day.
One more time,
Inhale and exhale.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Remembering that you can always come back to this feeling,
Visualizing what brings you joy,
Love and peace and taking a few mindful breaths to stay centered and focused.
Thank you so much for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
