Hey there, and welcome back to Anxiety Relief Daily. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here with me this morning. You know, it's late November, and if you're anything like most people I talk to, you're probably feeling that familiar tug of holiday stress creeping in. The to-do lists are piling up, the calendar's getting crowded, and somewhere between the planning and the doing, your nervous system is probably waving a little white flag. So today, we're going to work with something I call the anchor breath, and I promise it's going to feel like giving your mind a safe place to land.

Let's start by getting comfortable wherever you are right now. You don't need to sit cross-legged on a mountaintop, by the way. Couch, desk chair, car during a lunch break, doesn't matter. Just find a spot where your spine feels naturally tall and your shoulders can soften down and back. Take a moment and just notice where your body is touching whatever's supporting you. Feel that contact. That's your foundation, and it's right there with you.

Now, let's bring our attention to the breath. I want you to breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four. Really feel the air moving in, the cool sensation, the expansion in your belly. Hold it gently for four. Then exhale through your mouth for a count of six, letting it be a little longer than the inhale. That longer exhale? That's actually signaling your nervous system that everything's okay. Do that once more. Inhale, four. Hold, four. Exhale, six.

Here's where the real anchor comes in. With your next breath, I want you to silently say the word "calm" as you inhale, and "release" as you exhale. These aren't magical words, but they give your anxious mind something to focus on besides the worry spiral. Your brain loves a job, so give it this one. Calm in. Release out. And you're going to repeat this for the next few minutes. Whenever your mind wanders, and it will, that's not failure, that's just being human. Gently bring it back to calm and release. Again and again.

As you continue with this anchor breath, notice how each cycle feels like a small reset button. You're not trying to erase the stress; you're just creating little pockets of peace inside your day. These pockets add up.

When you're ready, gently let the practice soften. Bring your attention back to the room around you, and notice how you feel. That calm you found? That's still there inside you. Carry it forward.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me on Anxiety Relief Daily. I hope you found some inner calm today. Please subscribe so you don't miss tomorrow's practice, and remember, you've got this.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI