A Few Minutes of Calm
[Free Preview of 5 AM Miracle Premium]

The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, hosted by Jeff Sanders

Episode #516xp: "A Few Minutes of Calm [Free Preview of 5 AM Miracle Premium]"

Hey, it's Jeff Sanders.

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[Music] Welcome to a few minutes of calm.

This is the 5AM Miracle, a podcast that normally focuses on high energy, enthusiasm, big goals, waking up early to dominate your day.

I love those things.

They're powerful things.

But this week, I think it's important to pause.

We're right in the middle of the holiday season at the time of this recording.

And I don't know about you, but the holiday season, it pulls me in multiple directions.

Part of that is healthy and good, social and fun and family, and it's great.

The other part of it, though, is somehow intense amounts of stress, not the kind that leads to the life I really want to live.

And so what I've determined, at least especially recently in my life, is pausing and taking a moment for calm.

It's an intentional decision.

It doesn't just happen on accident.

You don't just find yourself relaxed.

At least I don't.

I have to do it on purpose.

But when I do, it's wonderful.

It is wonderful.

And so if you're in a season where life has been stressful, you've had a lot on your plate, the tension in your shoulders is just ever-present, let's just take a few minutes to acknowledge the stress, how real it is, how physical it is, of course, mental and emotional, but then to let it go, to release the stress, release the tension, and just acknowledge that in this moment, we can just be.

We can be calm, we can be present, and we don't need whatever we think we do, because we have it all right here.

In this moment, you have what you need.

As this season continues, and you're asking the question, "How do I get more of that?

How do I find that centered place?"

Just come back to these very simple principles.

The breath is probably your most powerful resource.

That oftentimes the stress that we feel is something we can unfeel, as odd as that may sound.

We can choose to respond to life's difficulties differently.

We can choose in the moment to pivot, to breathe, to smile, and to approach our day with a new refreshed sense of calm enthusiasm, a very stoic energy.

Because that's what it is.

If you're there now and you need something more, and the tension just seems to just hang on, I would just ask you to do what it takes to step out of that shell, that framework, that bubble that we tend to find ourselves in.

Break out of that.

Do something for a few minutes that's a little different.

I know for me personally, that literally means just going for a walk, going to the woods, turn off the electronics, just sit, just be.

If that's what you need in this season, take that time.

Release that stress.

And then as life begins again in a new season, in a new year, as life returns to a place of high ambition and to-do lists and all the things that come from productivity in general, the things I tend to love and get value from, let's try to approach that with a new frame of mind, a new piece that can come from understanding what it means to slow down, to breathe, and to more methodically move through your life with a keen sense of awareness of your emotional state of literally doing everything in your power to acknowledge the reality of stress and bring it down on purpose.

Reframe the conversation.

Switch the habits around and prioritize what you need in this season.

I know for me, this kind of work is hard.

My normal go-to attitude towards life is fiery.

It's caffeinated.

It's intense.

And so this kind of a slower pace, even to record this for you today, I know I have to be in a different headspace than I normally am.

And so if you're there yourself and you know you need that shift, be intentional, make the shift, and come back to it again and again and again.

Get what you need from this process.

That's all I have for you in these few minutes of calm this week.

I'll try this again in the future, and I want to hear from you as well.

Does this help?

Is this recentering you?

Email me, jeff@jeffsanders.com.

Let's try and do this a little bit better next time.

Peace.