Finding Stillness in the Storm: Slowing Down in a Stressed-Out World
By: Neal C. Goldberg, Ph.D.
In reflecting on where to begin this blog series, I leaned into a theme that kept surfacing—not just today, but throughout this week’s sessions. A theme of urgency. Of pressure. Of barely keeping up. It seems like almost everyone is moving through life with a kind of breathless momentum—rushed, stretched thin, and feeling like there’s never quite enough time.
So maybe that’s the place to begin.
Life is full. It’s full of moving parts—work, family, health, relationships, bills, emails, texts that go unanswered, the pressure to keep up, to do more, to hold it all together. It's no wonder so many of us walk around feeling like we can’t catch our breath.
Stress isn’t just something that lives in our minds. It shows up in our bodies, too—tight shoulders, clenched jaws, that constant undercurrent of tension. Our nervous system gets stuck in high alert, and even when the day slows down, we don’t always know how to slow down with it.
Finding the Pause
Here’s the thing: your body needs rest—not just sleep, but true moments of pause. That doesn’t mean disappearing to a mountain cabin or cutting your life in half (although if you figure out how to do that, let me know). It means gently creating pockets of calm in your day. A breath. A moment of stillness. A walk around the block without your phone.
I know it might sound small. But small is where regulation begins.
Your Breath is Your Anchor
You don’t need fancy equipment or a 60-minute practice. Start with your breath. Right now, even.
Try this:
Take a normal, easy breath in—nothing forced.
Then exhale slowly, gently, a little longer than usual.
Pause for a moment before the next inhale begins on its own.
Let the breath return naturally, and begin again with another slow exhale.
A few cycles of this kind of breath can begin to shift your body’s internal state. Long, slow exhales help tell your nervous system: you’re safe now. No need to push. No need to fix. Just an invitation back to the present.
Small Things That Actually Help
We tend to think stress relief has to be some big lifestyle overhaul. But honestly, the magic is in the little things you can return to again and again:
Step outside and let your eyes land on something green.
Place your hand on your chest and feel it rise and fall.
Roll your shoulders. Shake out your hands. Stretch.
Do a 30-second body scan: just notice how you’re feeling, no fixing required.
And if you’re someone who likes guidance or structure (so many of us do), there are some really great tools out there. Apps like Headspace and Calm offer gentle ways to explore mindfulness, breathwork, and even short meditations that fit into real-life schedules.
A Gentle Reminder
You don’t have to be perfectly calm. You don’t have to have it all figured out. But what if, today, you gave yourself permission to slow down—just a little?
This isn’t about becoming a new person. It’s about remembering that you’re already a whole one.
Start where you are. Start kind. Start with one breath.
Until next time,
