If you have a stressful meeting ahead and you can already feel the pressure,
Tension and nervousness building,
This is a moment to pause and prepare your mind.
Sit in a way that feels upright and supported.
If possible,
Close your eyes.
Feel both feet on the floor.
Let your hands rest lightly in your lap.
Relax your jaw.
Drop your shoulders.
Notice your breath exactly as it is.
Is it quick and shallow?
Notice your heartbeat.
Is it racing?
Do you feel your pulse elevated in your throat?
Do you feel a sickness in your stomach?
For a moment,
Just witness what is happening in your body right now without trying to control everything.
You don't need to force yourself into calm.
You don't need to become someone else before this meeting.
You are simply giving yourself a few minutes of support before you begin.
So take a slow breath in through the nose and a longer breath out through the mouth.
Again,
Breathing in and breathing out and letting your breath go back to its usual rhythm.
Go back to feeling the chair underneath you.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Feel the support of the ground.
Let your attention come out of the future for a moment and back to the present.
Back to the impact of your thoughts on your body.
Move away from the imagined conversation,
The possible outcomes and the pressure to get everything right and back to this breath and this room and this moment.
If your mind is racing ahead,
Notice that gently.
Notice planning,
Rehearsing,
Trying to control.
It's okay.
You are under stress and your body and mind are responding to that.
Now take another slow breath in and a longer breath out.
Breathe out through pursed lips so you make a soft whistling sound.
Breathe in through the nose and softly whistle it out.
Let the longer exhale send a message through the body that it can relax a little.
Soften the muscles around your eyes.
Soften your jaw.
Soften your throat.
Let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
Let your belly release.
Let your hands release.
If you still notice that your heart is beating fast or if there is a tightness in your chest,
Just acknowledge that.
Your body is trying to prepare you and it needs support.
Now bring to mind the fact that many people know this feeling you are currently experiencing.
Many people have sat before a difficult meeting and felt anxious,
Exposed or under pressure.
Many people have worried that they won't say the right thing or will not perform as expected.
This is an all too human moment.
Now ask yourself,
What do I need right now?
Perhaps you need permission not to be perfect.
Perhaps you need a quick walk outside.
Perhaps you need some words of encouragement from a colleague.
Just notice what comes up.
See if you can offer yourself one small gesture of kindness.
You might place a hand lightly on your chest or over your belly and say to yourself,
This is really hard right now.
I will be kind to myself in this moment.
I will meet this challenge with calm and confidence.
Take another slow breath in and whistle it out.
Now bring your meeting gently to mind and remember this.
You don't need to control the whole meeting.
You don't need to impress everyone in the room.
You don't need to perform perfectly.
You only need to stay in the moment.
Say to yourself,
I don't need to rush.
I don't need to put myself under pressure.
Take one final slow breath in and a full breath out.
Feel that you are right here,
Right now.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes and take this calmer and kinder version of yourself into the meeting.
You've got this.
