Welcome to MindFit.
I'm Michelle Mazza,
And this is a practice to help you regulate and stay in the moment in uncertain times.
Uncertainty can pull your attention toward the future to anticipate potential threats,
Which creates more anxiety when outcomes are unclear or out of your control.
This exercise can help you return to the moment,
Reduce your anxiety,
And interrupt any urges for impulsive decisions.
Find a comfortable position,
Sitting or lying down.
Allow your hands to rest easily,
Palms facing up,
And one placed on top of the other.
Open palms will begin to shift your body from anxiety to openness in the here and now.
If you prefer,
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale slowly and release.
One more time,
Breathing in and letting go.
Begin to notice the simple fact that at this moment,
You are here.
You are breathing.
You are supported by the chair,
The bed,
Or the ground beneath you.
Uncertainty can feel loud.
It can pull your mind into the future,
Into questions,
Into what-ifs.
Right now,
For these few minutes,
You do not need to solve any problems.
You are settling your body in the here and now.
You only need to be here.
Notice your breath as it moves in and out of your body.
If your mind says,
But what if something happens?
Simply notice that thought and gently say to yourself,
Thinking.
You might silently say,
This is what uncertainty feels like in my body right now.
And then,
I can feel this and still be okay at this moment.
Take another slow breath in and out.
Now bring your attention to what is certain right now.
Perhaps the feeling of air entering your lungs.
The sounds around you.
The contact of your feet with the floor.
The rise and fall of your chest.
This breath.
This one moment.
These are anchors.
When the mind drifts into tomorrow,
Gently guide it back to what is true now.
Breathing in,
I meet this moment.
Breathing out,
I soften.
Breathing in,
I do not need all the answers.
Breathing out,
I can take one step at a time.
Allow yourself to consider that uncertainty is part of being human.
You are not failing because you do not know what comes next.
You are living.
And even in uncertain times,
You have inner resources.
Strength.
Resilience.
Wisdom.
And the ability to respond when needed.
Take one final,
Deeper breath in.
And slowly exhale.
Notice how you feel right now.
Before you return,
Silently offer yourself these words.
I do not need certainty to find steadiness.
I do not need all the answers to trust myself.
I can meet this moment as it comes.
One final inhale.
And extend your exhale,
Letting go.
When you are ready,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
And slowly open your eyes.
And return your attention to the moment.
Amen.
