By Blair Dagenhart, Lead Coach, ThriveWise Coaching
It’s the beginning of November and I’m sitting on the beach in 73-degree sunshine. The beach is one of my favorite places on earth, and how lucky am I to be absorbing this weather?
Something about the water and the salt air settles me. With sand under my bare feet, it’s easy to slow down and feel connected to the ground.
The beach makes that connection simple, and it’s important to remember: we can find this wherever we are.
The holidays are close. Kids will be home soon, and school schedules are about to shift. Calendars fill up fast this time of year, which makes it a good season to practice meeting each moment with clarity and care. That practice is what people mean by regulating the nervous system: helping your body settle so you can think clearly and choose how you respond.
The tool for this goes everywhere you go. Your breath is already with you.
A reminder on my calendar
When I worked in corporate America, I put “take a breath” on my calendar at one o’clock every day.
At first, I’d see the reminder and keep working.
Once I started honoring it, the pause became something I looked forward to. Eventually, it was simply part of how I worked. That reminder held the structure until the habit could stand on its own.
Make it a daily practice
Breathing practice works a lot like building strength at the gym. Each session adds up, and coming back to it regularly makes a calm, focused breath easier to reach whenever your day calls for it.
Start small.
The next time your day speeds up, whether you’re heading into a big meeting or waiting in a long line at the store, take one intentional breath.
Feel where your feet meet the floor. Breathe in slowly through your nose, let the exhale run a little longer than the inhale, and then carry that focus into what comes next.
Practice with support
At ThriveWise, we believe lasting habits grow fastest with structure and support. This winter, I’m leading Executive & Professional Group Coaching, a small-group series for professionals who want to turn pressure into focused energy and grow in their careers.
We’ll meet in person in Charlotte once a month in January, February, and March, with an accountability partner and simple practices to use between sessions. Each session opens with a short breathing practice, much like the one above. Together, we’ll work on practical ways to direct that energy so you can lead well at work and at home.
See the series and save your spot here.
For now, try this: feel the ground under your feet and take a breath.
