5 MIN RESET

In the work I do with educators and leaders, I often hear the same phrase: “I’m fine.” And on the surface, they are. They are showing up, leading teams, supporting children and families, meeting deadlines and carrying responsibility. They are capable and committed.

But beneath that competence, many are running on a nervous system that hasn’t properly exhaled in months.

Research suggests that around 80% of our thoughts today are repeats from yesterday, and many of those thoughts carry a negative tone. The same worries resurface. The same conversations replay. The same doubts quietly loop in the background. Most of us don’t even notice it happening. We simply continue functioning, assuming that the mental noise is normal.

Until the body intervenes.

A few years ago, I began experiencing persistent headaches that wouldn’t shift. I went to my GP and was referred to a physiotherapist. I expected exercises or posture corrections. Instead, she asked me whether I was stressed. I answered instinctively that I was just busy. But when she observed my breathing, she gently pointed out that I was hyperventilating. Not in an obvious, dramatic way, just shallow, fast breathing that had likely become my baseline.

She sat me down and taught me how to breathe properly. Within thirty minutes, my body felt different. The headache had eased. What struck me most was not just the physical relief, but the realisation that I hadn’t even noticed how dysregulated I had become.

Of course, physical symptoms should always be checked medically. But that experience taught me how subtly stress can accumulate. It often shows up as clenched jaws, raised shoulders, tight chests, racing thoughts or constant fatigue. Because these sensations build gradually, we normalise them. We adapt. We push through.

Since then, I have become deeply committed to something very simple: the five-minute reset.

This is not a complex wellbeing framework or another initiative to add to an already full workload. It is a short, intentional interruption to the mental and physiological loop many of us operate within.

The first step is to write down the three thoughts currently circling your mind. Naming them creates distance. When thoughts remain vague, they feel overwhelming. When they are written down, they become observable rather than all-consuming.

The second step is to slow your breathing. Inhale through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. As you do, notice your shoulders, your jaw, your brow. Allow them to soften. This simple act begins to calm the nervous system and signal safety to the body.

The final step is to write down one small thing that has worked today. It does not need to be significant. It might be sending an email you had been avoiding, supporting a colleague through a difficult moment, or simply getting out of bed when it felt hard. By deliberately noticing what worked, you begin to rebalance the brain’s natural bias toward scanning for problems.

In leadership and education, we are conditioned to endure. We carry responsibility for others and often measure our value by how much we can handle. But resilience without regulation is not sustainable. Constant output without intentional pause eventually leads to depletion.

Five minutes will not remove every pressure. It won’t solve systemic challenges. But it can interrupt the spiral. And interruption is often where change begins.

I share this not because I have mastered it perfectly, but because I still need it myself. I still catch my breath shortening. I still notice old thought patterns resurfacing. The difference now is that I recognise them sooner and have practical tools to respond.

Your brain is trainable. Your nervous system can reset. But it requires awareness and small, consistent actions.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to pause today and try the five-minute reset. Notice the thoughts. Slow the breath. Identify one small success.

And if you are an educator or leader carrying more than most people realise, know that support exists. Through coaching and learning spaces, I work with professionals to build sustainable wellbeing, strengthen self-awareness and recognise the strengths they already hold.

You can find more about that work here : https://www.rowenahicks.com/

Sometimes, change does not begin with a dramatic decision. Sometimes, it begins with five quiet minutes.