Hi,
This is Stephanie Boxer Baum.
Thank you so much for meditating with me today.
For today's practice,
We're going to be doing a confidence for overwhelm meditation practice.
When we start to look at overwhelm through the lens of mindfulness,
The first place we kind of want to go to is just to allow ourselves to be exactly as we are.
We all know what it can feel like when in our daily lives,
Whether it's work or personal,
When it just starts to feel like so many things are coming at us,
Whether it's your email inbox filling up,
Whether it's texts,
Whether it's calls,
Whatever it is.
Maybe it's a project that you know you need to finish.
That sense of kind of agitation or stress or worry about what's coming next,
We want to make enough space for it.
So today's practice is really going to allow for that space and allow for this idea that we get to explore what tools really work for us in those moments.
There's really not a one perfect way because we're different any day of the week.
Every meditation is different.
Every day is different.
So there's really not kind of this one size fits all.
Now I'm never overwhelmed again.
In fact,
It's okay to welcome in the overwhelm.
We can turn toward it.
We don't have to run from it.
We don't have to push it aside.
We can really just be with it.
And sometimes that's the first place to start is like,
We know things feel like it's a lot right now.
And when we can kind of embrace that and really get underneath it and ask ourselves,
What do I need in this moment?
The answer that arrives could surprise you.
Maybe it's about mindful breathing.
Maybe it's about mindful walking.
In these practices,
This isn't so much of a sort of pep talk of you can do it,
Feel confident,
Get past your overwhelm.
It's really about allowing these mindfulness practices to give you a sense of confidence for that inner landscape that we're all kind of working on when we're practicing meditation is to sort of turn toward what's it feeling like today.
And I can have the confidence to trust that my meditation practice,
I'm not doing it because there's going to be some promise of a magical answer because there may not be.
But when we can allow ourselves space and time and just a moment of reflection of just breathing,
Sometimes just that is what we need to kind of keep putting one foot in front of the other.
So on that note,
Let's come to a comfortable seat,
Whatever comfortable feels like for you today.
And maybe that's not even sitting.
Maybe you want to do mindful walking today.
Or maybe you want to lay down with a blanket.
I use the word comfortable in the most broadest sense possible.
Just coming into the space that you're in,
Taking a gentle deep breath in and a gentle exhale out.
And we begin by allowing ourselves to be exactly as we need to be.
Nowhere you have to go.
Just letting go,
Whatever you were doing before this,
Whatever you're going to do after.
Allowing the body to settle.
And if the mind is particularly agitated today,
Can you meet it with a welcoming moment?
Just welcoming in where you're at right now.
Maybe taking four breaths in,
Four breaths out.
Maybe even putting a hand on your heart today if that feels like it resonates with you to just give yourself some of that affectionate touch to show up for yourself.
And if that's new to you or doesn't resonate today,
Don't worry about it.
These are practices that we can cultivate and beginning to really lean into what supporting yourself feels like as a lifelong journey.
So on this next deep breath in,
I invite you to bring into whatever situation is causing some overwhelm.
Picking something that you can handle,
Picking something that's not going to really rile you up,
But just something where it's just kind of giving you a little bit of overwhelm.
Breathing that into your space.
Just letting the thoughts be there,
Whatever the case may be.
And taking a deep breath in and a gentle exhale out,
Just envisioning this situation and putting a compassion blanket right around it.
Not because it's going to make it go away,
But can you soften?
Softening in the body where you may feel tension,
Softening in the mind where all the thoughts are roaming around in your mind with whatever's going on.
How can we soften?
Softening these moments,
Allowing yourself to breathe in gently,
Breathe out slowly,
And just soften.
And silently asking yourself in this moment,
What do I need to make this situation easier?
What do I need to make this situation easier?
And there's no right or wrong answer.
It's almost like seeing the overwhelm at a distance and knowing,
Wow,
You know what?
This is something that could make it easier.
Just being really honest about what that is.
And if an answer doesn't appear,
That's okay.
We are allowing ourselves to just be exactly as we are.
And the answer could surprise you too.
But allowing this practice of mindfulness to bring you whatever it is that you need to know.
And for these next few moments,
Just being in this space,
Gently breathing in,
Gently exhaling out,
And sensing into what would feel good.
On this next inhale in and gentle exhale out,
Sharing the reminder that when overwhelm is present,
We want to narrow our focus.
Allowing yourself to take one step at a time,
Allowing yourself to stay confident that you can handle no matter what is thrown your way.
And by quieting the mind and quieting the body,
Allowing yourself to prioritize what is it that really matters on this list.
All these things are going to keep coming your way,
But what really matters?
And this is a place to keep coming back to the more that comes your way.
Narrowing the focus,
Adding in some mindful breathing,
And taking breaks whenever you need.
Being able to trust that you can feel confident that you can handle all of this.
Maybe it doesn't need to happen at all the same time,
But when you have that underlying confidence for yourself,
And adding in that breathing room,
Checking in,
What do I need right now?
Allowing for that spaciousness.
These are all tools that can help you move through any overwhelm in a mindful way and in a practice that can be cultivated as we do want our inner world to guide us.
We don't want to necessarily be yanked around by any external circumstance.
So this is a place of practice that you can always come back to anytime.
So gently beginning to wiggle your fingers and toes,
Coming in back into your surroundings,
And sharing that reminder that you are always enough as is.
And when you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes.
Thank you so much for meditating with me today,
And I hope to be meditating again with you soon.
