The purpose of this meditation is to offer co-regulation and simple affirmations for
anyone living with ME,
Myalgic encephalomyelitis,
CFS,
Long COVID,
And any other chronic energy
limiting diseases while you're experiencing post-exertional malaise,
Otherwise known as
PEM,
And any exhaustion of a crash state.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths,
Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through
your mouth.
See if you can allow your muscles to release a little more tension with each exhale,
Showing
your body that it's safe to sink more deeply into your bed with each exhale.
Now bring your awareness to the present moment.
Notice the sensations of your breath,
The rise and fall of your chest,
The feeling of
air as you breathe in and out.
When we're in a crash,
It's so easy to catastrophize about the current state of our bodies and
become completely enveloped in fear.
Fear that we'll never return to our previous baseline.
Fear that this may be our new normal.
These fears are perfectly valid ones,
And for now,
We're going to just focus on your
rest and your recovery.
As you continue to breathe deeply,
Imagine a warm,
Comforting,
Orange light surrounding
your body.
Picture this light moving through each part of your body,
Emanating upwards,
Starting
from your toes and slowly moving up to the top of your head.
Feel the warmth of this light,
And imagine it bringing ease to every muscle that it touches.
As you continue to breathe,
Release any tension you're holding in your muscles in order to
soften and surrender with each long exhale.
Now focus your attention to the present moment.
Acknowledge any thoughts and emotions that may be present,
And try to do so without judgment.
Maybe some of your thoughts include,
I'm worried that this state I'm in right now might last
forever.
I'm scared that this is my new baseline,
My new normal.
If any of this sounds familiar,
Please know that these fears are perfectly reasonable
responses to a condition that is sometimes unpredictable at best.
It's fair and even normal to get caught up in the worry of when you'll next be able to
return to your pre-crash level of activity,
But for now,
We're just going to focus on
your rest and your healing,
Extending compassion and gentleness for yourself while you're here.
It may feel good to imagine placing each of these thoughts about your future on a gentle,
Fluffy,
Bluish-gray cloud,
And then allowing that cloud to just drift by,
Leaving just
you and me here together in a quiet,
Calm moment.
You may notice yourself feeling distracted by the many sensations speaking loudly to
you in this moment,
And I want to recognize and honor those sensations with you.
Maybe these sensations are a combination of pain,
Exhaustion,
Heavy as concrete limbs,
Brain nausea,
And a heightened sensitivity to light and sound.
Take a moment now to name a few of the loudest sensations that you're experiencing right now.
Remember the last time that you were here,
And remembering how you managed to re-emerge
once again,
To some extent,
And to find relief once again.
And while these symptoms may never completely vanish,
They are likely to diminish,
To dissolve,
And to fade once again.
Some of these sensations are likely to downshift in severity and decrease in intensity.
In this state of impermanence,
Knowing that you have the power to let your fear pass without
attachment to it,
In the stillness of this moment together,
Let's visualize a gentle
stream that's flowing in front of you.
Observe the water,
Noticing how it moves effortlessly,
Constantly changing in its shape and form.
Just like the stream,
Our bodies are in this constant state of flux.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Repeat after me the following affirmations,
Either in your
mind or spoken out loud.
I am safe.
Resting is safe.
Today I am resting and listening to what my body needs.
This is what my body needs right now.
Today I will go slow.
It's okay that I focus on rest.
It's okay to focus on getting through today.
This too shall pass.
I am safe.
Feel the weight of these words.
Maybe you'll notice a sense of relief or sorrow,
Both of which are fleeting.
These sensations too are transient and transitory in shape and felt sense.
As you continue to breathe,
On your next inhalation,
Imagine inhaling a sense of calm and acceptance
of the impermanence of all things.
With each breath,
Drawing in the understanding that change will come again and exhaling any
resistance and fear.
Keep your eyes closed for as long as you need to.
If you're able,
Allow yourself to continue to rest and surrender to the natural rhythms
of your breath,
Wishing you many moments of ease and relief to come.
