A Simple 5-Minute Reset to Calm Your System
When your body needs a quick reset
There are days when you can feel your body humming — heart racing, thoughts spinning, breath shallow. You might not even feel anxious, but your body is.
That’s what happens when your nervous system slips into overdrive: it’s still protecting you from a danger that’s long gone.
The good news? You can start teaching it safety again in just a few minutes.
Why small practices work better than big pushes
Most of us try to “fix” our stress the same way we fix everything else — by doing more. But the nervous system doesn’t respond to effort; it responds to rhythm.
Short, gentle resets create micro-moments of safety that slowly retrain your body. It’s like showing your system, again and again, “see? we’re safe now.”
Step-by-step: a 5-minute calming practice
You can do this anywhere — lying down, sitting, or even at your desk.
Ground:
Notice the surface beneath you. Let your weight sink down.
Feel gravity holding you.Breathe:
Inhale gently through your nose for 4 counts.
Exhale through your mouth for 6 counts.
(Longer exhales tell your body it’s safe.)Re-orient:
Look slowly around the room.
Name five things you see, three things you hear, one thing you can feel.Anchor:
Place a hand over your chest or abdomen.
Whisper to yourself: “I’m here. I’m safe.”
Do this once or twice a day. It’s not about instant transformation — it’s about teaching your body a new baseline.
This short practice is a taste of the approach we use in The Reset. Safety, practiced in small doses, becomes your body’s new default.
What’s happening inside your body
Each slow breath and grounding cue activates the vagus nerve — the body’s built-in “safety switch.”
As it turns on, heart rate lowers, digestion restarts, and inflammation quiets. This is your body remembering how to shift from protect to repair.
That’s the reset.
Repeatability = rewiring
The more often you practice, the faster your system learns. Five minutes may feel small, but it’s like watering roots: invisible at first, then everything starts growing again.
These resets form the foundation for deeper healing — and prepare your system for the next phase of recovery.
Want a few more practices like this?
Download the free guide — 3 Ways to Calm Your Body’s Overdrive → — for simple tools you can use anytime your system needs a reset.