I’m not here to tell you to “just calm down.”

If I could just calm down, I would’ve done it already & we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

So here are a few tiny resets I’m using when I’m already fried… when my brain is spiraling & my body feels like a live wire.

1️⃣ Name It

“This is anxiety.”

Not truth. Not prophecy. Not a fact.

Naming it doesn’t erase it… but it stops it from running the whole show.

2️⃣ Get Out Of Your Head, Into Your Body

Your brain is yelling because your body is stressed.

Pick one:

🫠 cold water on your wrists

🫠 step outside for two minutes

🫠 unclench your jaw

🫠 drop your shoulders

🫠 10 slow breaths that you actually count

Nothing fancy. Just a signal to your body: we are not in danger.

3️⃣ Shrink The Moment

Ask: “What’s the next right thing?”

Not “fix my life.” Not “solve everything.”

Just… the next right thing.

Drink water. Reply to the email. Fold the towel. Take a shower. Sit in the sun.

4️⃣ Don’t Mind-Read

If you catch yourself assuming what someone meant…

Try this: “I might be guessing.”

Because you are. We all are.

5️⃣ Laugh If You Can

Sometimes laughter is a reset button.

Bean still looks like he’s making plans. That’s fine. At least somebody in this house has goals.

Closing

If you’re in a season where everything feels personal… I’m right there with you.

Let’s be gentle with ourselves. Let’s take the pressure off our own necks.

We don’t have to earn rest. We don’t have to earn peace.

We’re allowed to just be human.

This is Journeys With Jani… and today’s destination is “small steps count.”

XOXO, Jani