Hello, and welcome to Anxiety Relief Daily. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here. You know, it's Saturday morning, and I'm guessing some of you are already feeling that familiar flutter in your chest, that "what if" spinning in your mind before the weekend even really begins. That's real, and that's okay. Today, we're going to practice something I call the Anchor and Release, and honestly, it's become my favorite tool when anxiety shows up uninvited.Let's start by finding a comfortable seat, somewhere you won't be interrupted for the next few minutes. You can be on your couch, in a car, at your desk, wherever feels safe. Go ahead and let your shoulders drop away from your ears. Take a moment and just notice what your body is doing right now without judgment. There's no perfect posture here, just you, settling in.Now, let's begin with what I call the three count breath. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold it for just a heartbeat, and then exhale through your mouth for a count of six. The longer exhale is key, because it tells your nervous system that you're safe. Let's do this together. In for four, hold, and out for six. Again. In for four, hold, and out for six. Beautiful.Now I want you to imagine your anxiety as something physical, maybe a knot in your chest or a weight on your shoulders. Don't fight it. Instead, picture it as a cloud. Fluffy, made of air and light. With each exhale, imagine that cloud becoming a little more transparent, a little less solid. You're not pushing it away; you're simply letting it drift. That's the release part. And here's where the anchor comes in. With each inhale, imagine breathing in a color or a feeling that represents calm to me, it's usually golden light or the feeling of warm sun on skin. You're anchoring yourself to calm while releasing what doesn't serve you. Continue this for the next few minutes. Breathing in calm, breathing out the cloud of worry. There's no rush. You're exactly where you need to be.As we gently return to the room, notice how your body feels different. That shift you might feel, that's real. That's your nervous system remembering that it can find its way back to calm. Here's my challenge for you today: the next time you feel anxiety creeping in, pause and do just one cycle of this anchor and release breath. Just one. That's enough to remind your body what's possible.Thank you so much for joining me on Anxiety Relief Daily. Please subscribe so you don't miss tomorrow's practice. You've got this.For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWTThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related