Q3 Strategy Session? Read This First
Your Color-Coded Goals Can Wait – Your Breath Can't
If your inbox looks anything like mine, it’s a hotbed of unsolicited motivation right now:
✨ “Halfway through 2025—are you on track?”
✨ “Q3 is here, it’s time to buckle down!”
✨ “Double your productivity in the next 90 days!”
Mmmkay. Thanks for the cortisol spike.
Just what you need while your brain is already juggling sunscreen reapplications, a half-written pitch, the weird sound your AC is making, and the soul-shriveling realization that time is a flat circle and you’re still not done with that one thing you swore you’d finish by March.
Let me offer a gentler alternative:
Close all the browser tabs. Put down your planner. And take a damn breath.
Midyear Mind-Melt is Real
This time of year comes with vibes.
It’s part summer lull. Part achievement audit. Part low-key existential crisis.
And the pressure? It’s sneaky.
You may not even realize how tight your chest feels until you try to breathe deeply and your ribs say “lol, nope.”
Newsflash: you’re just maxed out.
Which is exactly where breathwork comes in.
Feel Better Faster Than You Can Say “Q3 Planning Session”
Forget color-coded sticky notes for a sec, enjoyable as they are. Before you map your next quarter, take a couple minutes to check in with your nervous system.
This technique is simple. It’s structured. And it works fast. Here’s how to do it:
Sit still.
Inhale through your nose for 4 counts.
Hold your breath for 4 counts.
Exhale through your nose for 4 counts.
Hold again for 4 counts.
Do 8-12 sets of these (i.e. about 2-3 minutes), letting the corners of your brain start to unclench.
Feels good? Good. Add more if you have time.
This is called box breathing—and it’s a powerful weapon for when your thoughts are scrambled, your to-do list is screaming, and you need a full-body "shh."
Used by everyone from athletes to executives to special ops units (seriously), box breathing can help you:
Quiet racing thoughts
Reduce feelings of anxiety and overstimulation
Feel focused, even when the world is on fire
You’ll know it’s kicking in when your shoulders drop, your heart rate slows down, and your inner monologue goes from “I’m so f***ed” to “Okay… maybe I’m okay.”
Not a Productivity Hack, But a Power Move
Sometimes people ask me if I use breathwork to get more done. And sure, it can help you focus, energize, reset between Zooms.
But the real magic?
It isn’t in output. It’s in permission.
To pause.
To feel.
To downshift your nervous system out of survival mode and back into sovereignty.
Box breathing reminds you:
✅You are not a spreadsheet.
✅You are not a missed deadline.
✅You don’t need to be constantly pushing forward in order not to be left behind.
✅You are a living, breathing being.
If you’re not “on track” right now, that’s fine. If your 2025 goals are looking less shiny than they did in January? Also fine.
This isn’t the part where I tell you to hustle harder…
This is the part where I remind you that breath is the beginning of clarity—not the reward for finally figuring it all out.
So if the midyear swirl is starting to feel like you’re being sucked down the drain, do this:
Breathe in.
Hold.
Breathe out.
Hold.
Repeat.
Then, maybe—make a plan.
Want more quick breath resets like this one?
Grab your FREE “5 Breaths in 5 Minutes” toolkit—PDFs, videos, and digital cards that walk you through simple, sanity-saving techniques you can use anytime, anywhere.
(Yes, even while hiding from your inbox.)
Last Gasp
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
— Anne Lamott