A fast, body-first reset for moments when you can’t think your way out. This is the one to use first when a spiral is already underway.
When this might help:
You’re mid-panic, mid-spiral, or about to dissociate
You can’t focus enough to read, journal, or talk
You need to interrupt something before it escalates
The practice:
Place one hand on your chest, the other on your belly.
Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw.
Breathe out longer than you breathe in. Five rounds.
Say, silently or out loud: “Not now. I’m here. I’m safe enough.”
That’s it. The whole thing takes under a minute. The point isn’t to feel good. The point is to send one signal, I’m here, to a system that has drifted.
Keep it with you: print this tool as a card (PDF).
Audio guide: arriving with the book's launch.
Come back to this whenever you need it. Returning is the practice.