Be Steady

I'm glad you pressed play.

Whatever it was. The text. The thought. The thing that got in your chest and won't get out. You don't have to put it down yet. It can sit next to you for a few minutes, and you can let it sit while you listen.

You're sitting, or you're lying down. There's a floor under you. Your hands are somewhere. And you're already breathing, you don't have to do anything about that. Which means the only thing left is to breathe a little slower.

In through the nose. Out through the mouth, like you're fogging up a window.

Again. In. Out, longer than in.

One more. In. And as you let it out, you can let the shoulders go with it.

Good.

Your jaw. You've been holding it since this morning. You can let it loosen now, just a little.

Your hands. You can open them now, or in a breath or two. Either way, they're about to get heavy.

Your eyes can close, or just go soft. Your choice. Both work.

Here's the only job you've got for the next few minutes, and it's one you can't get wrong: breathe out slower than you breathe in. In for four. Out for six. I'll count the first few with you.

In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four, five, six. In, two, three, four. Slow down. Two, three, four, five, six. In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four, five, six.

Keep that going on your own. You already know how. I'm right here.