It’s National Relaxation Day, and instead of a long list of ideas, we wanted to offer one specific, quick practice you can use today and keep in your back pocket going forward.

The exercise: Find a seated position. Take one slow breath in through the nose, hold briefly, and release slowly through the mouth. As you exhale, mentally name one thing that’s currently weighing on you, then imagine setting it down beside you, not gone, just set down for these five minutes. Repeat with a second thing if needed. Spend the remaining time simply noticing your breath without trying to change it.

That’s it. No special setting required, no extended time commitment. The goal isn’t to solve anything in five minutes, it’s to create a brief pause between you and whatever’s been running on a loop.

Keep this one in your toolkit. It works just as well in a parked car or a bathroom at work as it does in a quiet room at home.