Hey there, friend. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you've carved out this moment for yourself today. Whether you're nursing your second coffee, squeezing in a few minutes before the day fully takes over, or maybe you're already feeling that familiar tightness in your shoulders—I see you. Today's Wednesday morning, and honestly, mid-week stress is real. That creeping feeling that everything's piling up? We're going to work with that together. So let's get settled. Find yourself somewhere—your couch, a quiet corner, even your car works—somewhere you can just be for the next few minutes without interruption if you can manage it. Let your shoulders drop away from your ears. Good. Now, take a gentle breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth with a little sigh. Again. In through the nose, and sigh it out. Notice how that sigh actually feels like you're releasing something? That's not just poetic—your nervous system actually shifts when you do that. Here's what we're going to practice today. I call it the Stress Release Breath, and it's going to become your secret weapon whenever tension starts creeping in. Breathe in slowly for a count of four. Feel your belly expand like a balloon filling with calm air. Hold it there for a gentle four count. Now here's the magic part—exhale for six counts, and make it longer than the inhale. That longer exhale is like opening a pressure valve. Your nervous system loves this. It's like saying, okay body, we're safe now, you can relax. Let's do this together. In for four. One, two, three, four. Hold. One, two, three, four. Now out for six. Slowly. One, two, three, four, five, six. Beautiful. Again. In for four. Two, three, four. Hold for four. And out for six. Let it be smooth like honey. One, two, three, four, five, six. One more round. In through the nose, filling up. Two, three, four. Pause. Now the release. Out, out, out, out, out, out. Feel that? That shift? That's your parasympathetic nervous system saying thank you. Here's what I want you to do. Keep this breath in your back pocket. The next time stress taps you on the shoulder—and it will—just do two minutes of this. Four counts in, six counts out. It's portable, it's free, and it actually works. Thank you so much for spending these minutes with me on Stress Relief. You've taken a real step today. If this resonated with you, please subscribe so you don't miss our next practice. You've got this. For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWT

Ask this episode

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

Transcript

Related