3-Minute Sitting Still with Unsettled Feelings

Time needed: 3 minutes (60 seconds each)

Setting: Comfortable seated position when feeling agitated or restless

Purpose: Finding stability and awareness within unsettled emotions

Grounding in Stillness (60 seconds)

What: Establishing physical stability first:

- Sit with feet firmly on floor, spine supported

- Notice the weight of your body in the chair

- Feel contact points: feet on ground, back against chair

- Take three slow breaths without trying to change the unsettled feeling

- Say to yourself "I can be still even when I feel restless"

Notice: Initial resistance to stillness, how physical grounding affects internal state, difference between body stillness and mental activity

Why: Physical stillness provides anchor during emotional storms, creates foundation for awareness, proves you can be stable even when feelings are chaotic

Witnessing the Unsettlement (60 seconds)

What: Observing agitation without fighting it:

- Notice where restlessness lives in your body

- Watch thoughts and feelings without needing to solve them

- Breathe with the unsettled energy rather than against it

- Name what you observe: "I notice anxiety in my chest" or "I feel restless energy"

- Allow the feeling to be present without resistance

Notice: How witnessing changes your relationship to difficult feelings, where agitation moves or shifts, the space created by observation

Why: Awareness creates space around difficult emotions, reduces struggle against feelings, builds capacity to be with discomfort

Finding the Eye of the Storm (60 seconds)

What: Discovering stillness within the movement:

- Notice that while feelings are moving, something in you remains steady

- Feel the part of you that can observe the unsettlement

- Rest attention on your breathing as an anchor

- Trust that feelings will shift and change naturally

- Connect with your capacity to be present with whatever arises

Notice: The awareness that remains constant even when emotions fluctuate, inner stillness that coexists with agitation, your resilience in difficult moments

Why: Recognizing inner stability builds confidence in handling difficult emotions, creates lasting foundation for emotional resilience

Closing: "I can be present with whatever I'm feeling"

Notice: How sitting still with awareness differs from fighting or avoiding difficult feelings

Why: Building capacity to be present with discomfort is essential for emotional maturity and wellbeing

Tips:

- Start with shorter periods if 3 minutes feels too long

- This is practice, not performance

- Unsettled feelings are normal and temporary

- Return to breath or body contact when overwhelmed

- Seek additional support if feelings become unmanageable