A simple reset for busy days
(Staff use only)
Working in healthcare can place sustained demands on attention, decision-making, and emotional regulation. Over time, stress and physical tension can accumulate in the body, reducing clarity, energy, and capacity.
What this is
This is a brief reset (2–5 minutes) that you can use at any point during the working day. It is designed to support regulation and wellbeing and to reduce cumulative stress load.
It is discreet, requires no equipment or extra space, and can be done wherever you are.
You can count the breaths yourself or listen to the guided audio.
Sit comfortably, allowing your lower ribs and belly to move.
Gently close your mouth and breathe through your nose.
Breathe in for four seconds, then breathe out for six seconds.
Keep the breath slow and unhurried.
Keep it low, feel the lower hand move a little more than the upper hand.
Let the breath be gentle and smooth through the nose.
After a few minutes, allow your breathing to return to normal.
If it ever feels uncomfortable, simply return to your natural breath.
A note on responses
People notice different things: calm, restlessness, subtle physical sensations, or very little change at all. All of these responses are normal. These practices are invitations, not instructions. You remain in control at all times.
How this fits in practice
This reset is intended to support staff regulation and wellbeing. It is not therapy and is not intended as treatment.
Small Shifts uses physiology-first tools to support regulation during the working day, short practices that help the body settle so thinking, focus, and recovery become easier again.
This approach may also help inform how we think about regulation and capacity in others, but this page and the audio are for staff use only.
When this is useful
This reset is designed for real-world moments, for example:
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between patients or appointments
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after a difficult call or conversation
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when tension builds in the body
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when mental load feels high
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at the end of the day to support downshifting
Start the Conversation
Get in touch if you’d like to explore how Small Shifts can support you or your community with simple, practical tools that build clarity, calm, and capacity in everyday life.
