Modern life often confuses speed with progress, leaving us breathless while we chase goals, raise families, and try to show up for ourselves. This guided practice invites a small but meaningful reset that fits into busy days. We begin by naming the intention: a short moment to breathe, anchor attention, and welcome gratitude. That framing matters because the brain follows the questions we ask it. When the prompt is “find calm,” the nervous system receives permission to switch from urgency to awareness. A hand over the heart and the phrase “I’ve got you” pairs a physical cue with a compassionate thought, signaling safety and opening the door to deeper presence.
Breath is the simplest lever we have to influence mood and focus. Slow nasal inhales, a brief hold, and soft mouth exhales stimulate the parasympathetic system, dropping heart rate and releasing muscular tension. When you inhale, imagine pulling in ease and clarity; on the exhale, let go of the small frictions that piled up. This pattern may feel basic, yet repetition is the point. The body learns that relief is accessible on demand, not only on vacations or after deadlines. With each cycle, shoulders lower, the jaw unclenches, and the mind shifts from spinning to noticing, which sets the stage for a richer gratitude practice.
Gratitude works best when it is specific and sensory. Instead of “I’m grateful for family,” try “the sound of my daughter’s laugh at breakfast” or “the first sip of warm coffee.” By asking the mind to picture a person, thing, or moment, we recruit memory and imagery networks that brighten mood and increase resilience. Sending a quiet thank you outward completes the loop: appreciation felt, appreciation expressed. Research shows regular gratitude practice can improve sleep quality and reduce perceived stress. On demanding days, specificity cuts through the noise and gives the mind a clear target for calm.
We then widen awareness with a gentle body scan. Attention moves from crown to feet, noting sensations without judgment: warmth, pressure, tingling, or ease. This scan does more than relax muscles; it restores the relationship between mind and body. Many of us try to think our way out of stress while the body holds the bill. By naming and thanking parts—heart for compassion, hands and feet for action, body for carrying purpose—we practice respect, which often dissolves hidden tension. Gratitude aimed inward is not indulgent; it is maintenance, like charging a battery before it fails.
Closing with a final breath and release seals the practice. We inhale what we wish to cultivate—calm, courage, steadiness—and exhale a simple thank you, returning attention to the day with softer edges. This routine can be used before meetings, at bedtime, or whenever overwhelm spikes. Over time, the cues become anchors: hand to heart means safety, slow breath means clarity, specific gratitude means perspective. The goal is not perfect serenity but reliable access to a better state. Five minutes are enough to shift the story from constant push to supported progress, so you can lead, parent, and create with more presence and less strain.
Resources:
Try more short meditations in the 5-Minute Meditations for Kids collection
Subscribe to Call Me CEO for more mindfulness, motherhood, and business inspiration
Connect with Camille Walker:
Follow Camille on Instagram: www.instagram.com/CamilleWalker.co
Follow Call Me CEO on Instagram: www.instagram.com/callmeceopodcast
- MyMommyStyle.com
- Subscribe to Call Me CEO for more episodes!
- Email: callmeceopodcast@gmail.com
Camille: 0:00
So, with that in mind, I wanted to create for you a short meditation that is available for you to do breathing and mindfulness and gratitude right here. So, you want to make an impact. You're thinking about starting a business, sharing your voice. How do women do it that handle motherhood, family, and still chase after those dreams? We'll listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know. This is Call Me CEO. Hey everyone, it's Camille here with Call Me CEO. And this is a special episode that is meant to bring mindfulness, breathing, gratitude, and calm. In the last few solo episodes, I've shared quite a few options of how to do screen-free relaxation and also tools and resources for helping you find calm. So, with that in mind, I wanted to create for you a short meditation that is available for you to do breathing and mindfulness and gratitude right here. Now, if you are not familiar, I also have another podcast called Five Minute Meditations for Kids, which is a resource for children to have mindfulness and meditation. It also helps with bedtime and any anxieties or fears they may be working through. So that is another resource that is available to you. Now I want to welcome you here and to take a pause, a moment wherever you are, and say thank you to yourself for being here, for pressing play and taking this moment to thank yourself. Put your hand over your heart, take a deep breath in, and repeat to yourself, I've got you. Because wherever you are, as Dr. Seuss might say, there you are, is where you are. And you are here. And thank you for being here. So sitting, lying down, or even standing still, let your shoulders drop. Unclench your jaw. And let yourself be right here in this moment. This time is for you. A few minutes to breathe, feel gratitude, and find calm. Close your eyes if it feels comfortable. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose. Hold for just a moment. And exhale softly through your mouth. Let's do that again. Inhale, peace. Exhale anything that feels heavy. One more deep breath in. And out. Feel your body soften with each breath. Now I want you to bring to mind something that you're grateful for today. It might be a person you love, a cozy blanket, your morning coffee, or the simple fact that you're breathing right now. Picture that moment or person in your mind. Think specifically of what it is that you're grateful for about that person or that thing or that moment. Picture them in your mind's eye. Or the thing or the moment. And feel warmth in your chest as you breathe in gratitude. Breathing in one, two, three, four, eight, five. And as you exhale, send a quiet thank you out into the world to that person, to that place, to that thing, to that blessing. Gratitude helps us remember there was always something good, even on the busiest or hardest days. As you're breathing in gratitude and breathing in that space, think to yourself that you have a way of returning that gratitude. And returning gratitude actually opens up space for more good into your life. I want you to imagine a gentle wave of calm moving through your body from the top of your head, down your neck, your shoulders, your back, your arms, your heart, your stomach, your legs, and your feet. If you will take time to do this body scan, you can actually take a chance or time to thank your mind and your body and your heart and your soul. Thank you, body, for helping me get the things done that I need to do. Thank you, heart, for helping me to feel compassion and for serving and forgiving of myself. Thank you to my hands and my feet for helping me to accomplish the things that help me to fulfill my purpose. And thank you for rest so that you can start all over again anytime you need. Let's take another deep breath in, breathing in all of that good. One, two, three. Hold. Imagining those things that we are grateful for and releasing by saying thank you. One, two, three. Have a wonderful time. And I will see you on the next episode. Hey CEOs, thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you found this episode inspiring or helpful, please let me know in a comment in a five star review. You could have the chance of being a featured review on an upcoming episode. Continue the conversation on Instagram at Call Me CEO Podcast. And remember, you are the boss.
Sign up to receive email updates
Enter your name and email address below and I'll send you periodic updates about the podcast.