If you're stuck in a doubt spiral and your mind keeps spinning and you're looking for some relief,
This meditation is for you.
Begin by finding a position that's as comfortable as possible.
Take a few deep breaths,
Inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling fully through your mouth.
Let each exhale be longer and slower than the inhale,
Communicating to your nervous system that you're safe right now.
With each long,
Slow exhale,
Allow the muscles in your body to release any tension you may have been carrying.
Softening the forehead,
Releasing muscles in the jaw,
Dropping the shoulders,
Releasing tension from the stomach muscles,
Then loosening the muscles in the legs,
Allowing the legs to be fully supported.
If any doubts arise,
That's natural.
Just return your focus gently and kindly each time to the soothing waves of the breath.
And now,
Allowing the breathing to return to its natural rhythm,
Bring awareness to the physical sensations of breathing.
Notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest,
Feel the air moving in through your nose,
Cool on the inhale,
And then feel the air moving out on the exhale,
Maybe lightly touching the skin of the upper lip.
Next,
Notice the weight of your body against the surface supporting you.
Feel the points of contact where your feet meet the floor and where your body meets the surface beneath you.
You might even press your feet down firmly into the floor,
Noticing the pressure,
Noticing which parts of the feet,
Maybe the toes,
The heels,
Or the balls of the feet are making contact with the floor.
And now,
With gentle curiosity,
Notice if there are any thoughts of doubt present in your mind.
Notice the tone and speed of any doubting thoughts or questions.
Instead of trying to answer these questions or push away these thoughts,
Just acknowledge their presence.
You might mentally say,
Yep,
There's the doubt showing up again.
Imagine these thoughts as clouds in the sky of your mind.
They may be dark or stormy clouds,
But they are still just passing through.
Your mind is the sky,
Vast,
Open,
And expansive.
As you notice doubting thoughts arising,
You may also feel physical sensations of discomfort.
Maybe a tightness in the chest,
A knot in the stomach,
Or tension in the shoulders.
With kindness,
Acknowledge these sensations too.
You might say to yourself,
This is what doubt feels like in my body.
Many people experience this.
It's safe for me to feel this doubt right now.
I don't need to fight against it.
You might place a hand on your heart or any other area of the body that's feeling the doubt and offer yourself some compassion.
You might say,
This is a hard feeling.
I can be with this feeling.
And now we'll practice creating some distance between you and the doubting thoughts.
Notice a current doubt and try saying before it,
I'm having the thought that.
For example,
I'm having the thought that I need to be absolutely certain.
Or you might start the thought with,
My mind is telling me that.
For example,
My mind is telling me that I need to know with absolute certainty if I did the wrong thing.
Notice how this creates a small space between you and the thought.
The thought is not a command you must obey or a truth you must accept.
It's just an activity of the mind.
And now take a moment to reflect on the thought.
The nature of doubt.
Notice how each answered question tends to give rise to another.
Each reassurance creates space for a new doubt to arise.
Notice how the pursuit of absolute certainty is like following a path that continuously extends just beyond your reach.
No matter how many steps you take,
Complete certainty is always a hope in the distance.
Pause to notice the deep human desire for certainty and safety that drives these doubt spirals for all of us.
The desire to feel secure,
To protect yourself and those you love,
To prevent harm.
These are natural,
Very understandable needs.
Your mind is trying to keep you safe in the only way it knows how.
You might say to yourself with kindness,
It makes complete sense that I want to feel certain and safe.
And now,
With that same compassion,
You might ask yourself with honesty,
How has the pursuit of certainty worked for me so far?
Has it ever led to lasting peace?
You might notice that while the desire for certainty is so human,
Uncertainty isn't something we just have to endure while we're waiting for certainty to arrive.
Uncertainty is an inevitable part of our experience always.
We can honor our need for safety while also recognizing that a meaningful,
Fulfilling life is possible even without the complete certainty that our minds naturally crave.
Your fullest experiences and deepest connections unfold in the space of a moment.
Not knowing.
As you continue breathing,
Bring to mind what matters most to you beyond the doubts.
Maybe you value being present with people you love,
Creativity,
Learning,
Connection,
Or making a difference.
Whatever your values may be,
Hold them gently in your awareness while continuing to breathe.
Ask yourself,
If I were to allow these doubts to be present without letting them control my actions,
What would I be free to do?
How could I show up for myself and others in line with what's most important to me?
Visualize yourself moving forward in your day with you in the driver's seat and these doubts in the backseat.
They're along for the ride,
But you're driving the car.
Imagine yourself alive,
Present,
And taking meaningful action even if the doubts continue to chatter in the background.
As we prepare to close this meditation,
Remember that when we stop fighting an endless,
Unwinnable battle with doubt,
It can be like waking up from a dream.
We can open our eyes to the vibrant life that is all around us and holding that fluttery feeling in our chest that comes from not knowing,
We can move toward what matters to us most in this moment.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
You might practice allowing yourself to rest in uncertainty.
You might give yourself permission to not know right now.
Notice what opens up for you in this moment.
And now,
Gradually bring your awareness back to the room.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
