Hey there, friend. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here with me today. You know, it's early Monday morning, and if you're anything like the people I talk to, you might already feel that familiar knot starting to form somewhere between your shoulders and your chest. That weight of the week ahead, the things left undone, the notifications piling up. I get it. So let's take the next few minutes together and give your nervous system something it's been craving: a little peace.
Find yourself a comfortable spot, somewhere you won't be interrupted. You can sit, lie down, whatever feels good to your body right now. And if you're in a place where you can't fully settle, that's okay too. You can do this while standing, waiting in line, sitting at your desk. This practice travels with you.
Let's start by taking three deep breaths together. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, hold it for a moment, and exhale slowly through your mouth like you're releasing the day's weight with each breath. One more time. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. One more. Beautiful.
Now, here's what we're going to do. I want you to imagine your stress as something physical, something you can actually work with. Maybe it's a tight ball in your chest. Maybe it's a fog around your shoulders. Whatever it looks like to you, that's perfect. Now, with each breath, imagine that you're breathing cool, calm air directly into that space. With each exhale, watch that stress soften just a little bit. It doesn't have to disappear completely. We're not trying to force anything here. We're just creating space around it, like warm water gently melting an ice cube.
Keep breathing like this. In through your nose, out through your mouth. And if your mind wanders, that's not a failure. That's just your brain doing its job. Gently bring your attention back to your breath, back to that image of stress softening and releasing. Keep going for the next two minutes with me.
That's wonderful work. As we come back to this moment, notice how your body feels. Maybe you feel a little lighter. Maybe you just feel present. Both are wins.
Here's your take-home gift: today, whenever you feel that stress creeping back in, pause for thirty seconds and do this breathing exercise. Three breaths, imagining stress softening with each one. You can do this in your car, your bathroom, anywhere.
Thank you so much for joining me today on Stress Relief. Please subscribe so you don't miss our next session. You've got this.
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