Hey there, and welcome back. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here. It's Wednesday morning, and if you're anything like me, you might be feeling that mid-week scramble—that moment where your to-do list suddenly feels longer than your patience, right? Today, we're going to spend just five minutes together releasing some of that accumulated tension. No judgment, no perfection required. Just you, me, and your breath.

Let's find a comfortable seat wherever you are. It could be your couch, your car, your desk chair—honestly, I've meditated in a Target parking lot, and the universe didn't mind one bit. Sit up just tall enough to feel dignified but not so rigid that you're uncomfortable. Let your hands rest naturally, and if your shoulders are currently hanging out near your ears like mine do when I'm stressed, just gently roll them back and down. There we go.

Now, let's begin with three intentional breaths. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, feeling the cool air moving through your nostrils. Hold it for a moment. Then exhale slowly through your mouth, like you're fogging up a mirror. Feel that? That's you already shifting. That's the nervous system saying, okay, we're safe here.

For the next few minutes, we're going to practice what I call the anchor drop. Your mind is like a boat in choppy waters right now, and we're going to drop an anchor to steady it. That anchor is your breath, specifically the sensation of it in your lower belly. Breathe naturally now, no counting needed. Just notice where you feel your breath most clearly. For most of us, it's that gentle rise and fall right below your navel.

Every time your mind wanders—and it will, that's not failure, that's just being human—you're simply going to notice the thought, like you're watching a cloud float by, and gently guide your attention back to that anchor. Back to your belly. Back to this moment. Stress loves to pull us into yesterday or tomorrow, but your nervous system can only relax right here, right now. So we stay with the breath.

As you continue breathing, imagine with each exhale that you're releasing something you don't need. Tension, worry, that awkward thing you said last week—whatever wants to go, let it go. You're literally physiologically calming down right now. Your body is listening.

We're coming to a close. Take one more deep breath in, and as you exhale, gently open your eyes if they were closed. You just invested five minutes in your own peace. That matters. Take this sense of grounded calm into your next task. You've got this.

Thank you so much for joining me on Daily Mindfulness: 5-Minute Meditations for Stress Relief. Please subscribe so we can keep doing this together.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI