Turn It Around

Spark #172 - When the day spirals, you don’t have to go with it.

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The day started edgy.

My routine exploded.
Everything got scrambled.
Nothing went as planned.

And it was hot and sticky.
And I dropped my phone and keys on the way out.

My mind was bouncing all over the place.
Thoughts crashing into each other.
I couldn’t focus.

I sat down, buckled my seatbelt.
And out of nowhere, I heard it.

Turn it around, Cara.
Turn. It. Around.

I looked around.
No one there.
I’d said it out loud.

So I did.

One breath in.
One long sigh.
(Yes, that kind of breath resets your system. Science backs it.)¹

I pulled out of the driveway.
Not completely calm.
But more clear and more steady.

1. For more on how sighing helps calm the nervous system, see:
Balban, M.Y. et al. Cell Reports Medicine, 2023.
"Brief structured breathing can reduce stress"