Welcome to this guided meditation on releasing the need for approval.
I invite you to find your way to stillness,
Allow your body to settle and your breath to deepen naturally.
Close your eyes and turn your attention inward,
Concentrating on your breath,
Feeling the ebb and flow of your chest as it rises and falls.
Today we work with something that affects nearly everyone,
The need for approval,
That innate pull to be liked,
To be validated,
To be seen as good enough in the eyes of others.
This need is natural,
We are social beings and connection matters to us.
But when the need for approval becomes excessive,
When it drives our choices and determines our mood,
It becomes a chain that limits our freedom.
Begin by acknowledging without judgment.
Where this need shows up in your life,
Notice it.
Perhaps you notice it at work,
Seeking praise from supervisors,
Perhaps in a relationship wanting constant reassurance,
Perhaps on social media,
Measuring your worth by likes and comments.
Just notice,
There is no need to fix anything right now.
Simply observe with curiosity and compassion.
Now take a deep breath and imagine you are holding a handful of balloons.
Each balloon represents a source of external validation,
Someone whose approval you seek,
Some standard you feel you must meet.
Notice how many balloons you are holding.
Notice how much energy it takes to keep them all.
Give opportunity for a nice deep exhale and begin to release the balloons one by one.
Watch them float up into the sky,
Getting visibly smaller and smaller in the distance until they disappear.
With each release,
Feel yourself growing lighter and lighter.
You are not abandoning connection.
You are not becoming cold or indifferent.
You are simply releasing the desperate grip,
The need that says,
I cannot feel good enough about myself unless others approve of me.
The truth is,
No amount of external approval will ever be enough if you do not approve of yourself.
You could receive praise from every person on this earth and still feel empty if your own inner critic remains unsatisfied.
Now bring your attention to your chest.
Notice if there is any tightness there,
The tightness of wanting,
Of hoping,
Of fearing rejection.
Breathe into that space.
Create room for a different way of being.
Repeat these words,
Letting them soften the grip.
I release the need to be perfect in others' eyes.
I release the need to please everyone.
I release the need to be universally liked.
I am free to be myself.
Feel what happens in your body as you say these words.
Perhaps there is relief.
Perhaps there is fear.
Perhaps a touch of both.
All responses are welcome here.
Now imagine a version of yourself that does not need approval to feel whole.
This version still enjoys connection and appreciation but does not depend on them.
This version makes choices based on inner values,
Not external validation.
This version can hear criticism without crumbling and receive praise without inflating.
This version of you is not some distant ideal.
It is who you already are beneath the conditioning,
Beneath the fear.
It is the self that knows it is worthy independently.
And as you feel this,
Take some nice relaxed breaths,
Bringing your attention back to your body.
Feel yourself stepping into this way of being.
Notice how your breath can relax here.
Take a moment to appreciate the freedom in this.
The freedom to have your own opinions.
The freedom to make your own choices.
The freedom to be imperfect.
To make mistakes.
To grow and change.
All without needing permission.
And repeat once more.
My worth does not depend on others' approval.
I approve of myself.
I trust myself.
I am free.
Let these words become a foundation.
Not a wall to keep others out.
But a ground that keeps you steady,
No matter how others respond.
And as we prepare to close,
Take a deep breath and feel the spaciousness in your chest.
Feel the lightness of having released those balloons.
You are still you.
Fully yourself.
Fully connected to life.
But no longer carrying the heavy burden of needing everyone to approve.
Now bring your awareness back to the room.
Feel your body supported beneath you.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Now you may walk into your day with this freedom.
Let your choices flow from your own values.
Let your peace come from within.
