How to Notice the Small Moments That Make Life Feel Good

Hi there. Before we begin today, I'd just like to take a moment, a genuine, heartfelt moment to say thank you. The response to the GoFundMe campaign to bring Anchored to the App Store this year has been overwhelming. Your generosity, your messages, your belief in what we are building together, it's moved me more than I can put into words.

If you have donated and want that free lifetime access to the Premium version, please make sure you've emailed me your receipt at hello@calminganxiety.org and I'll take care of the rest. The app's coming along beautifully. Thank you. Now, find your quiet place today.

I'm Martin. This is Calming Anxiety. The day session is about glimmers, those small, almost invisible moments of warmth that already hear, already real, a steam rising from your morning drink. The light that hits a window just right, the simple fact that right now, in this moment, you are breathing, you are alive, you are here.

And that is no small thing. So let's begin today by settling the nervous system. We are going to use a simple, square breathing technique. It's part of the Ancurd App's core practice to bring your body out of the noise, so find your position, sitting or lying, let your hands rest open on your lap or at your sides.

slowly close your eyes or soften your gaze and then breathe with me. Ready in through the in to three, four, hold to three, four, exhale through the mouth, three, four, hold softly at the bottom, three, four, again, breathe in two, three, four, hold to three, four, hold, breathe out, two, three, four, hold to three, four, let your breathing return to its own natural rhythm now. You are already calmer than when you began. This is the biology of stillness, your nervous system responding exactly as it is designed to do. And within this quiet space, I want you to imagine that you are putting on a very particular pair of glasses.

These are not ordinary glasses. They don't sharpen what's far away or correct what's blurred. What they do is filter out the noise, the run, the to-do lifts, the worry, and they bring into sharp, warm focus, the small things that usually walk right path.

In your mind's eye, look around you, your immediate world right now. Maybe you can feel the warmth of a blanket or the weight of your own hands resting quietly.

Maybe there is a light somewhere, pale morning light, or lamp light, touching the edges of things softly. These are glimmers, tiny sparks of safety that your nervous system is looking at. You don't need to chase them. You just need to lower the noise enough to let them in.

And right now, my friend, the noise is lower. Right now, you can feel them. Stay here for a moment, just noticing, just receiving. And then allow these words to be heard. And allow these words to settle into the quiet of your subconscious. Hear them, the omen, let them become part of your day. I am open to the small moments of beauty that surround me. I notice what is good, what is warm, what is real, right now in this moment.

I notice what is good, what is warm, what is real, right now in this moment.

I deserve to feel the quiet joy that is already here. I deserve to feel the quiet joy that is already here. And relax now, truly allowing yourself to be the quiet one, to release the negative words and actions of others, to set yourself free. Deeply and safely, with every exhalation, drift further and further down, deeper and deeper, I notice what is good, what is real, right now in this moment.

I deserve to feel the quiet joy that is already here. And before we step back into your day, take these three small practices with you. One, the one glimmer morning room. Before you check your phone this morning, find one thing, just one that is genuinely good. A smell, a sound, a sensation. Name it quietly to yourself. This is how you set the tone before the world gets a chance to be loud. Two, the breath anchor. Any time today you feel the noise rising, return to the four, four, four, four breath. Four counts in. Hold for, out for, hold for. It takes less than 30 seconds and it physically shifts your nervous system. This is what anchored was in the morning. And three, the evening glimmer. Tonight, before you sleep, recall one moment from today that was quietly good. It doesn't have to be a highlight. The warmth of a cup, the voice you love, a moment you smiled without realising. We are training a brain to look for light and the way you practice the better it gets. Thank you for spending these ten minutes with me today.

Gently bring your awareness back to the room. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Take a soft breath in and then as you exhale stretch out the arms and then open your eye. Thank you my friend.

If my app anchored sounds like something you want in your pocket every day, the breathing, the calm, the science of stillness, head over to calminganxiety.org/anchored and get in on the early access list. If you haven't already, the GoFundMe is still open. Every contribution helps this to come to the App Store and the Play Store. We're building it for you and the world. Smile often my friend. Positive when you can and to your beautiful soul. Be kind.