As I relax my body, the positive energy of the universe can reach me.

A braced body is a closed system. When the jaw is set and the breath sits high in the chest, very little gets in.

Not a good idea, not a compliment, not the plain fact that the room is warm and nobody in it is angry with you.

The body will not take instruction from an argument. It takes instruction from an exhale longer than the inhale, from shoulders dropped, from a jaw that finally unclenches somewhere around the second glass of water.

Do that first and the mind tends to follow within a minute or two. It is a strange order of operations, and far more reliable than trying to think your way calm.