Hey there, and welcome. I'm Julia, and I'm so glad you're here on this Friday morning. It's early, I know—that quiet time before the world wakes up and starts making demands. And maybe that's exactly why you're here, because you can feel it already, can't you? That little knot of tension that hasn't quite loosened from the week. The emails, the to-do lists, the people who need things. Today, we're going to unwind that knot together. So find yourself somewhere comfortable, somewhere you can just be for the next few minutes. No phone notifications, no interruptions. Just you and me and your breath. Go ahead and settle in. Get cozy. Maybe roll your shoulders back a few times. Feel that? We hold so much stress in our bodies without even realizing it. Your shoulders are probably up by your ears right now, and that's okay. That's human. Let them drop. Let them remember what relaxation feels like. Now, I want to teach you something I call the Five Count Release, and it's going to become your new best friend. Here's how it works: you're going to breathe in through your nose for a count of five, imagining that you're drawing in calm, cool air—like you're standing in a forest after rain. Hold it for a beat. Then exhale through your mouth for a count of five, and as you do, imagine you're releasing all that sticky, stagnant stress like water draining from a sink. Let's do this together. Breathe in: two, three, four, five. Hold. Now out: two, three, four, five. Feel that? The way your body relaxes on the exhale? That's not just nice—that's physiology. Your nervous system actually responds to this rhythm. Keep going at your own pace now. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Do this for the next few minutes. With each exhale, give yourself permission to let something go. A worry. A frustration. That thing someone said that stuck with you. Let it drift away like smoke. The beautiful part about this practice is that it lives in your body now. You can use it anywhere—in your car before a meeting, in the bathroom at work, before bed tonight. Whenever you feel that stress creeping back in, you've got this tool in your back pocket. Five counts in. Five counts out. It's that simple. So take one more conscious breath, and when you're ready, gently open your eyes. You did it. You just gave yourself permission to pause, and that matters. Thank you so much for listening to Stress Relief today. If this landed for you, please subscribe so you don't miss next week's practice. You deserve this. Take care of yourself out there. For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWT

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