Note: This was initially sent only to paid subscribers due to a publishing setting. I’m sending it again now to the full Year of Presence community with the intended preview and paywall structure.
Hello, friend.
How’s your week going?
If you’re here, chances are you’re feeling a particular kind of tired—the kind that doesn’t come from a single moment, but from something that’s been building over time.
Fatigue can be physical.
It can be mental.
Often, it’s both.
This Presence Shift is for those moments when you feel a little drowned out by life—when your energy feels low and presence feels distant.
We’re not here to force energy back into your system.
We’re not here to “push through.”
Presence Shifts don’t work that way.
We’re here to return to presence—and let the right amount of energy come back on its own.
As always, we’ll move through the same 5 Inner Steps:
Answer → Intend → Focus → Flow → Begin
Let’s begin.
A Brief Presence Shift
Take a long, deep breath.
As you exhale, let your body settle.
Even in fatigue, notice this:
You are still connected to life.
Life is holding you—even here.
Fatigue doesn’t mean you’re behind.
It usually means something has been asked of you for a while.
Presence doesn’t fix that all at once.
But it does bring you back to yourself.
Step 1 — Answer
Take another slow breath.
Quietly ask yourself:
What kind of moment is this for me right now?
You might notice:
tired
drained
heavy
worn down
Or simply: fatigued.
Notice where that fatigue lives in your body.
Your eyes.
Your shoulders.
Your chest.
Your belly.
No fixing.
No correcting.
Noticing is enough.
You’ve answered.
Step 2 — Intend
Take another deep breath.
As you exhale, silently say:
“I intend to become fully present over the next few minutes.”
You can say it out loud or quietly to yourself.
Now feel that intention—not as effort, but as permission.
You’re allowing yourself to arrive right here.
When you can feel that intention land in your body,
this step is complete.
Step 3 — Focus
Take another long breath.
Now bring 100% of your attention into this moment.
Fatigue often comes with a sense of collapse.
So here, we meet it gently.
Notice how your body is already being supported—
by the chair, the bed, the floor.
Feel the weight of your body being held.
Soften your shoulders.
Relax your jaw.
Let your eyes rest—closed if that feels good.
Now notice the quiet buzz of your body.
That subtle aliveness—your thirty trillion cells, still here, still connected.
You’re not behind.
You’re right on time.
Now listen.
Notice sounds near you.
Sounds farther away.
Sounds you wouldn’t normally notice.
And beneath them—
see if you can hear the silence underneath the sounds.
Let your breathing stay slow and natural.
Listen.
Feel.
Rest here for a few breaths.
Step 4 — Flow
From this more present state, quietly ask yourself:
What’s the next step of my day?
Not the most productive step.
Not the ideal step.
Just the one you’re honestly committed to taking next—
given the energy you have right now.
See yourself taking that step in your mind’s eye.
See presence flowing into it.
See yourself making gentle, honest use of the energy that’s available.
Let that image settle.
Step 5 — Begin
A Presence Shift is never complete until you begin.
Quietly ask yourself:
What’s the first 10-second action I’ll take to begin that next step?
Make it small.
Make it doable.
Take one last deep breath.
And when you’re ready—
begin.
Stay present.
—
Sean
