Five-Minute Anxiety Release

Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down, with your hands resting gently on your legs or at your sides.Shift your focus to your breath. Notice the soft rise and fall of your chest. Your mind may be full of uneasy or anxious thoughts, and that's okay. Simply continue to breathe naturally and with ease.Feel the air entering and leaving through your nostrils, and let a calm, light sensation flow through your body—from the top of your head all the way down to your toes—gently, effortlessly.As you settle into this awareness, repeat after me, either aloud or in your mind. For each number, count down from five to one, and affirm your awareness of stillness.Repeat with me:Five: Stillness and awareness.
Four: Stillness and awareness.
Three: Stillness and awareness.
Two: Stillness and awareness.
One: Stillness and awareness.Remember, these feelings of discomfort or fear do not define you. You have moved beyond them before, and you will rise above them again. Emotions are always in flux.If these feelings linger, it’s okay. In time, with awareness, they will fade.Now, let’s repeat once more, but this time, affirm your calmness:Five: Calm and present.
Four: Calm and present.
Three: Calm and present.
Two: Calm and present.
One: Calm and present.Sit with whatever emotions arise for just a moment longer. Feel the steady flow of air in and out, your chest rising and falling.Allow yourself to be aware, again and again, that peace is returning. Stay in this stillness… and let go.