Notice your connection to the ground.
Close your eyes if you're comfortable.
If not,
You can soft gaze at the floor.
Take some deep breaths and let yourself relax.
Lean to your right and get in touch with your functional adult.
Your functional adult is the part of you that can hold on to your value and your worth regardless of situations or consequences.
You recognize that your value and worth cannot be added on to and it cannot be taken away from,
And this makes you equal to everyone else,
Not better than and not less than.
Your functional adult is the part of you that can hold your boundaries appropriately,
Holding your external boundaries high enough to protect you from other people and their emotional baggage,
But low enough so that you can recognize their experiences,
Holding your internal boundary high enough so that you contain yourself and do not dump your emotional baggage onto other people,
Yet low enough so that you allow yourself to be known.
Your functional adult adjusts your external boundary and your internal boundary appropriately given the person or people you're interacting with and the situation that you are in.
Your functional adult is the part of you that can embrace your humanity and all the imperfections that come with being human,
Recognizing that if you do something right,
You are not good or perfect,
And if you do something wrong,
You are not bad or rebellious.
You are simply human and imperfect.
Your functional adult also recognizes the humanity and imperfections of others while holding your boundaries appropriately.
Your functional adult is the part of you that can find appropriate interdependence with others.
You take responsibility for your needs and wants,
But you allow others to support you in meeting these needs and wants.
You do not become needless and wantless around other people.
Likewise,
You support other people in meeting their own needs and wants without taking responsibility for their needs and wants,
But also not abandoning them and offering no support.
Your functional adult is the part of you that can find moderation and balance in all things,
Not indulging,
But also not depriving,
But finding that balance and moderation in all aspects of your life.
Your functional adult is the part of you that can hold all five of these core issues in balance,
Finding appropriate self-esteem,
Holding appropriate boundaries both internal and external,
Embracing your humanity and all the imperfections that come with being human,
Finding appropriate interdependence,
And holding all aspects of your life in moderation and balance.
Take a moment to connect with your functional adult and feel yourself embracing and holding these five core issues in balance.
How does your functional adult feel?
What does your functional adult look like in your mind's eye?
How can you remind yourself to step into your functional adult in difficult times?
If it feels comfortable,
Put your hand over your heart and check in with your inner children.
What inner children are you currently aware of?
Are you in touch with a younger child?
Are you in touch with an adolescent?
Are you in touch with an inner teenager?
What inner children are present at this time?
What is going on with your inner children in this moment?
Are they relaxed and comfortable?
Are they agitated and upset?
Are they feeling pain and distress?
Are they afraid or angry?
As your functional adult,
Take care and parent your inner children.
Functional adults parent with acceptance,
Nurturance,
And boundaries.
Acceptance.
I understand why you're feeling this way,
Why you're thinking this way,
Why you want to behave in this way,
Given what you have gone through,
And given how you see the world,
This makes sense.
Nurturance.
I love you unconditionally,
Even though your behaviors,
Thoughts,
Or emotions may be challenging for me in my adult life.
I love you as you are.
Boundaries.
You do not get to be in charge of my adult life,
Emotions,
Behaviors,
Or relationships.
From a place of love,
I am putting boundaries around you so that you can be a child,
An adolescent,
Or a teenager without trying to manage my adult life and responsibilities.
It is not your job anymore.
I as the functional adult will take on this responsibility.
How are your inner children responding to your parenting?
Are they appreciative and accepting?
Are they suspicious and untrusting and needing reassurance that you will actually take on these responsibilities and you will consistently show up to care for them?
What situations or experiences are weighing on your inner children at this time and how can you,
As your functional adult,
Take over responsibility for these experiences and situations?
When you take over responsibility for these experiences or situations as your functional adult,
Notice if they feel the same or if these situations and experiences feel different when held by your functional adult.
Holding these experiences and situations as your functional adult,
Check in with your inner children.
How are they doing now that they are not carrying these responsibilities?
Take a moment to settle your inner children in to a safe,
Nurturing place,
Perhaps a safe and nurturing place in the infinite expanse of your heart where they can just be children or adolescents or teenagers and not carry the burdens and responsibility of your adult life.
Notice that you are developing a relationship with your inner children.
They may,
From time to time,
Come out and attempt to take over adult responsibilities and situations.
As you develop this relationship,
You will notice when this happens more easily and will more effectively step in to accept,
Nurture,
And contain your inner children.
So managing these experiences and situations as your functional adult.
Take three deep breaths and when you're ready,
Open your eyes and continue with your day bringing your functional adult energy with you.
