One quiet minute.

This one is for the three a.m. wake-up. You don't have to fall asleep. You only have to breathe. Let your tongue rest behind your top teeth. Breathe in through your nose for four. Hold for seven. And out through your mouth, slowly, for eight. Again. In for four. Hold for seven. Out for eight. The long exhale is doing the work. Two more rounds, then let it go and stay lying down.

Let's do one round together. Sit however you are. Breathe in, two, three, four. Hold it, two, three, four. And out, two, three, four. Hold again, two, three, four. That's one. Nothing has to change yet. Breathe in, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Keep going on your own for a few more. Four rounds is enough.

Sixty seconds. That's all this is. Put both feet flat on the floor and let them be heavy. Look around and name three things you can see, out loud or in your head. That tells the nervous system where you are. Now, one hand on your ribs. Breathe in for four. Out, slowly, for six. The out-breath is the one that settles you. In for four. Out for six. Once more. In. And out. Nothing has been fixed, and that's fine, that wasn't the job. The job was one minute of steadier. If this is a regular thing, log it, because a pattern is what gets you taken seriously. And if the feeling is bigger than a hard day, please tell someone today.