Take 5

This morning I woke up early. My brain decided 3a was a good time to rise and shine. I wish I could say this is outside the norm. Won’t be so bad when it’s light out early. Anyway, as I groggily made my way into my home office, the chaos of papers and the Sunday basket of laundry sent me into a bit of an anxiety spell. Then I caught myself.

I grabbed my handy little timer, turned down the beep (nobody needs to hear beeping at 3a), and set it for 5 minutes. I took that 5 minutes and focused on the laundry and my desk. When the light on my timer indicated 5 minutes was up, I set it for another 5 and just sat down and did deep “baby breaths”. I repeated this pattern until I felt my anxiety calm. My desk still needs some attention, but I know longer feel my inner self shaking.

So this is your reminder, that if you’re feeling overwhelmed, just take 5. 5 minutes on something, and that something can be you, but then do 5 on what is causing your turmoil. Repeat as necessary.