Welcome,
I'm Shelly McLean.
I specialize in pre and postnatal healing using therapeutic art therapy,
Meditation,
And yoga.
In this lesson,
We'll explore what it means to let go of perfection.
As your pregnancy progresses,
You may notice the list of things you're supposed to do seem to get longer and longer.
The perfect diet,
The perfect exercise routine,
The perfect birth plan,
The perfect nursery,
The perfect mindset,
And eventually the perfect way to become a mother.
It can feel exhausting.
And somewhere along the way,
You might start believing that you're supposed to get all of this right.
Perfection leaves very little room for being human.
And you're gonna need that room because pregnancy is full of uncertainty and change.
You may start with one expectation and end up somewhere completely different.
You may have imagined feeling a certain way and then discovered your actual experience is much more complicated.
You can care deeply and still be imperfect.
You can make thoughtful choices and still change your mind.
That's not failure.
That's being human.
But in this lesson,
We're going to practice something different.
Letting go,
Not letting go of caring,
But letting go of the pressure to do pregnancy perfectly.
Because there is no perfect pregnancy.
There's your pregnancy,
Your body,
And your experience.
And your path is allowed to look different from somebody else's.
There will be days when things don't go according to plan.
And that doesn't mean that you're doing anything wrong.
So in this lesson,
We're going to create some space.
For something more compassionate.
Let's begin with a simple guided meditation.
Find a comfortable position.
Take a nice,
Low breath in.
And slowly exhale.
Allow yourself to settle.
There's no one you need to answer to right now.
There's nowhere you need to be.
This time is yours.
Notice your body.
Notice your breath.
Notice whether you're holding tension anywhere.
Your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your hands,
Or your belly.
And without forcing anything,
Simply allow yourself to soften.
Take a breath in.
And exhale.
And as you breathe.
Remind yourself.
I don't have to do this perfectly.
Again.
I don't have to do this perfectly.
I am allowed to learn.
I am allowed to change.
I am allowed to have days that don't go according to plan.
And I am still.
Doing enough.
Take one more breath in.
And exhale.
And slowly open your eyes when you're ready.
Come back to your space.
Come back to this moment.
We're now going to move into the creative practice,
Creating a perfectly imperfect collage.
Give yourself about 15 to 20 minutes to dive into this activity.
You can use magazines,
Printed images,
Words,
Scissors,
Glue,
Markers,
Or even something digitally.
Look for images,
Textures,
Or words that represent imperfection to you.
Moments that are messy and funny and unexpected and real.
Beautiful in their own imperfect way.
Arrange them without worrying how you're making something look.
Let yourself experiment.
Let some things overlap.
Let some things be crooked.
Let the page be unfinished,
If that's what happens.
The practice really isn't about the collage.
It's about noticing what happens when you stop trying to control the outcome.
And when you're finished,
Look at what you've created.
And ask,
Where am I trying to be perfect?
What might be possible if you gave yourself permission to be human?
Enjoy the activity.
Now let's close today's lesson with a few affirmations.
I am allowed to make mistakes.
And learn from them.
My worth is not defined by perfection.
I'm allowed to experience pregnancy in my own way.
I can choose compassion over pressure.
I am enough exactly as I am today.
And remember,
You don't have to become a perfect mother.
You're already becoming.
One breath.
One day.
An experience at a time.
Thank you for being here.
I'm sending you so much love to you and your baby.
On this journey.
See you in the next lesson.
