A Brief Presence Shift
Take a long, deep breath.
Let your shoulders soften.
Let your jaw unclench.
Let your body settle a few percent.
When anxiety is active, presence can feel far away.
That’s okay.
This Presence Shift isn’t about getting rid of anxiety.
It’s about returning to presence while anxiety is here.
We always move through the same 5 inner steps.
That repetition is how your nervous system learns the path home.
Step 1 — Answer
Take one slow breath.
As you exhale, quietly ask yourself:
What kind of moment is this for me right now?
Maybe it’s anxious.
Racing.
Tight.
Activated.
You’re not fixing it.
You’re not improving it.
You’re simply naming it.
Notice where anxiety lives in your body right now.
For many people it’s the chest, throat, belly, shoulders, or jaw.
Noticing is enough.
You’ve answered.
You know where your nervous system is starting from.
Step 2 — Intend
Take another long, deep breath.
As you exhale, quietly say to yourself:
“I intend to become fully present over the next few minutes.”
Don’t rush past this.
Feel that intention land in your body—not just as words, but as an expectation.
You’re giving your nervous system a clear direction.
When you can feel that expectation settle, Step 2 is complete.
Step 3 — Focus
Take another slow breath.
Now bring 100% of your attention into this moment.
Anxiety tends to pull attention forward—into the future, into worry.
So we bring attention back into sensation.
Begin by feeling both of your feet.
Notice where they meet the ground.
Feel the pressure.
The contact.
Now feel the weight of your whole body—
how it’s being held where you’re sitting or standing.
Slowly expand your awareness upward:
legs,
hips,
torso,
shoulders,
arms.
Notice the quiet buzz of your body.
That subtle aliveness.
Your cells working together right now.
Without losing awareness of your body,
begin listening to life.
Sounds close by.
Sounds farther away.
Silence beneath the sounds.
If your mind jumps ahead, gently return to your intention:
listening,
feeling,
being.
Stay here for a few breaths.
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Notice the shift.
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This is presence.
Step 4 — Flow
From this more present state, quietly ask yourself:
What’s the next step of my day?
Not the whole day.
Just the next step.
See it in your mind’s eye.
See yourself taking that step from presence.
Notice the first ten seconds.
Let presence flow into that moment.
Take two slow breaths.
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Step 5 — Begin
A Presence Shift isn’t complete until you begin.
So quietly ask yourself:
What’s the first small action I’ll take to begin?
When this Presence Shift ends, take that action.
Let presence carry you into the next hour of your day.
One more deep breath.
And when you’re ready—
begin.
A Note on Anxiety & Practice
If you listened to Presence Shift 2, you may have noticed how emotional patterns repeat through your days.
Anxiety is one of the most common ways those patterns show up in the body.
This Presence Shift isn’t about understanding anxiety.
It’s about learning how to return to presence inside it.
Each time you do this, your nervous system learns something important:
You don’t have to wait for anxiety to disappear in order to be present.
And that changes everything.
You can return to this quick reset anytime—
mid-day,
mid-spiral,
mid-life,
to flow into the next step of your week anytime.
Stay present,
Sean
