I Feel On Edge All Day — A 10-Minute Meditation for a Wired, Tired Nervous System

That feeling where the body's been braced since the moment you woke up. Shoulders up-brown your ears, your jaw is tight, your exhausted, and somehow still wired. Wired but tired. Running on a battery that's flat and jangling at the same time.

If today has felt like being on edge from the first alarm to right now, then this 10 minutes is for you, because there's a single breath just one that can start to switch that off.

Hi there. This is Calming Anxiety. I'm your host Martin, clinical hypnotherapist, former frontline paramenic. Before we begin, quick word. If today catches you somewhere that you can't press play for the full 10 minutes, then Anchored app has the instant calm session ready for any time, no signing in, no subscription, works offline.

And tonight, when you're ready to properly wind down, Ancid's ambient night light sits alongside your sleep sounds, a soft glow to fall asleep too. Now find your quiet place where you won't be disturbed, somewhere comfy to sit or lie down. Today's breath, the physiological sigh. If you haven't come across it before, it's worth knowing its name.

It's the fastest way we know to deregulate the nervous system. We breathe in, and then a second, short, sharp, top-up right at the top. It's like this. And then you breathe out through the mouth.

Let's do this together. Find your stillness. Close your eyes if you wish. Ready? Breathe in through the nose. In, in, fff, hold, and then out through the mouth.

Long and slow. Let the shoulders drop away. Soften the jaw. Round two. Ready?

In again through the nose. And then out, slow. Like you're misting a window up on a cold morning. Round three.

Really let this one land. In through the nose. In. Top, fff, and release. All the way out, melting into the surface beneath you.

Do you notice, even after only three rounds, something in your chest has loosened. If only slightly, it's not your imagination. That's your nervous system. And then the shifting state. Right now, while we sit here.

Let's do one more. Ready, my friend? Breathe in. And relax out through the mouth. Deep and slight.

Feel it slide from your shoulders. That's it. Just unwind. Let your breathing find any rhythm at once now. Feel it.

Expand your awareness. And truly, feel the in breath the way the ribcage rises expanding. And then with every exhalation. Tune in to that natural, beautiful sense of relaxation, of unwinding.

Deeper and deeper. You allow yourself to drift with every out breath.

Now, as a clinical hypnotherapist, I know how much power there are in words. And the words we quietly repeat to ourselves. So let's give your body some new instructions to settle into. See them as I say them.

And then repeat them. And allow the echo of them to float gently down and become part of all that you are.

I am allowed to come out of this high alert. My nervous system knows how to find calm even after a wired, edgy day.

My nervous system knows how to find calm even after a wired, edgy day.

I release the tension. I've been holding since this morning.

I release the tension. I've been holding since this morning.

Being tired doesn't mean I have to stay wired. My body can do both. Rest and let go.

I trust the sigh, the breath and the golden light, small things, and they are enough.

I am safe in this moment exactly as I am.

And take with you this sense of control of understanding.

Here are your three daily caring tips. One, the next time you notice that you are on edge, take one physiological sigh, double inhale through the nose, long exhale through the mouth.

Before you do anything else. Two, give yourself a proper wine down tonight. Dim the lights an hour before bed so that your body gets a signal that the day is actually over.

And three, say one kind sentence to yourself out loud today. Your nervous system listens to tone as much as words. Now relax within this moment, truly. Learn to let go of the negative anchors that hold us to the mistakes and regrets of our past.

And love all that you are. Now time to bring yourself back into the space around you. Wiggle your fingers and toes my friend. Now take a long slow breath in through the nose, hold at the top and then as you breathe out, stretch out the arms overhead.

Roll your shoulders and when you are ready, open your eyes. That is it for today my friend. This settles something new, even a little. Do share it with someone who has had one of those wide but tied days too. A friend or a colleague. It might be exactly what they need to hear.

And if you would like these tips saved for you automatically plus every session ready offline whenever you need it. That is exactly what anchored is built for. The daily tips are on the home screen there to be saved. A little catalog, a library of healthy ideas.

I'll be here with you again tomorrow. So take care, smile often, positive thoughts whenever you can and then in everything my friend. Be kind.