Balance On The Frontline

Viv Kenchington has designed this track to support caring professionals or anyone seeking to restore balance in their lives. Achieving a healthy work-life balance is crucial for our overall well-being, both physically and mentally. In just under half an hour, this audio track will guide you in relaxation techniques to regain balance and appreciation for all that you do.

Backed by the beautiful music of composer Christopher Lloyd Clarke, this track will aid your rest and sleep.

Transcript

Just take this time now to slow things down.

Relax and breathe.

I want you to find that comfortable position whether it is lying down on a bed or sofa or sitting comfortably in a chair.

It really doesn't matter where you are just make sure that you are comfortable,

Safe and all devices are switched off so nothing can disturb this time.

It is your time,

Time just for you.

This may be the first time that you've had a chance to stop all day.

You may have just finished a shift or be having a well-earned break.

Whatever the situation I want you to do something for me.

I want you to place a great importance on this time.

It is yours,

It is precious.

I want you to realize that you are the most important person right now at this very moment and anything you were doing before you started listening to me can wait.

You are now in the process of looking after you,

Giving yourself love and attention that is rightly needed and well-deserved.

Caring professionals or parents often find it difficult to switch off and put themselves first.

This is understandable.

However there has to be balance as with everything in this world.

There has to be balance and that balance starts now,

Right here,

Right now.

So let's change things around right here and right now.

For the next 20 minutes or so you are going to learn how to be your own best friend.

You are going to put yourself first so that you receive the love,

The care and attention that you find so easy to give to others.

You are now going to experience it for yourself.

You are going to see the value in you and realize it must be cherished and protected to enable you to be strong,

Calm and confident.

So for now I want you just to take a few nice deep breaths.

In through the nose and out through the mouth.

In through the nose and out through the mouth.

Let your breath soothe you now.

Soothe and relax you.

Breathe in and fill your lungs and then exhale any residual stresses of the day.

Imagine each breath you inhale filling you with energy and light and each exhale of breath releasing any tensions,

Tightness,

Discomfort in the mind,

In the body.

Scan your body from the very top of your head to the very soles of your feet for any areas of discomfort.

Locate them now and imagine as you breathe in you send that area the light,

Pure light,

Healing light.

Imagine that light spreading into those areas of tightness or discomfort and dissolving any uncomfortable feelings.

Maybe you've had a difficult time today,

A challenging time,

Times that you would be pleased to forget.

Well now is that time to let those memories be washed away by that light.

Just as it washes away the tensions in the body it can now work on the mind too.

Allow that light to wash away those thoughts knowing that you have done all you could and that now is a time for you to help you regain that all-important balance.

A balance within you so that you have more resources in the future.

This time is so important so allow yourself to relax,

To let go,

To rest in these moments as you are important and you are beginning to realize just how important you are.

So I want you to start this lovely process of letting go and relaxing by thinking about the top of your head and just allowing all those little muscles in the skin of the scalp to just relax and to let go.

And now all the muscles of the face just let them go slack.

Your forehead,

Your eyes,

Your eyelids,

The cheeks,

Mouth and jaw muscles.

It's a wonderful feeling when you let your face totally relax because you can actually feel the skin settling,

Just smoothing out.

And it might mean that your mouth opens slightly but whatever is best for you just let it happen.

Unclenching your teeth and relaxing your tongue because the more you can physically relax the more you can mentally relax.

And thinking about your neck and your shoulder muscles now and into the tops of your arms,

Letting all tension drain away.

As you think on down through your elbows,

Into your forearms,

Down through your wrists,

Into your hands and then right the way down to the very tips of your fingers and tips of your thumbs.

And then you might like to think about your breathing,

Just notice your breathing even more steadily,

More slowly as you relax more and more so you can let any tension in the chest area just drain away.

As you think on down through your stomach muscles,

Just allowing those muscles to relax.

And think down into the back now,

The long muscles either side of your spine,

Just let them go slack.

And your waist as you think on down through the pelvis,

The hips,

Down through the thigh muscles,

Through the thigh muscles,

Into the knees,

Down through the knees,

Into the shins and calves,

Down through your ankles,

Into your feet and then right the way down to the very tips of your toes.

So that all the muscles in the body now just feel beautifully relaxed and calm.

And now you feel so beautifully relaxed and calm,

The suggestions that you will hear will have an immediate and permanent effect on your subconscious mind.

You will hear every word that I speak even though you may find your mind wandering away at times,

Wandering off to all sorts of places.

And you know that's okay because right now nothing else matters,

Nothing except for this wonderful feeling of relaxation that you're experiencing.

You connecting with you.

At this moment it is as though you haven't a care in the world.

Nobody wants anything,

Nobody needs anything.

There is absolutely nothing at all for you to do except relax and to let go.

And just enjoy the feelings that are being generated within you.

Breathe and relax,

Breathe and relax.

And I wonder if you've ever had the pleasure of giving in to sleep maybe after a long walk on a Sunday afternoon or after a long shift at work.

When you take the time just to snuggle up on the sofa warm and comfy maybe watching your favorite movie or listening to the radio.

And you're resting and listening to the words and then you find that sleep is enveloping you,

Welcoming you into its folds.

You drift and dream for a little while and you come back to the words or the movie or the program you're listening to and then you drift off again and the feelings almost come in waves.

Your awareness there and then not.

There and then not.

It feels so comfortable just drifting off allowing and trusting that you feel safe and able to give in to deep slumber.

And then maybe a word or a sound sparks a memory and you wander off into that memory.

Fleeting words,

Sounds,

Pictures come in and out like clouds moving overhead.

And then you come back to reality and you see or hear what is really going on.

And then you drift off again until all those sounds and images mingle as one.

And you feel at ease,

Relaxed,

Comfortable,

Quiet and at peace.

You drift off to that haven inside where all is still,

All is truth,

Where you are you.

Nothing bothers you,

Nothing disturbs that sense of peace and quiet.

You are free.

So I wonder if you can just imagine for me that you're standing at the top of ten large steps leading down towards the most beautiful sandy beach.

Maybe it's a beach that you know well or a place that you've seen in a photograph.

It's a warm evening and the sunlight is an exquisite golden orange color and everything is bathed in this beautiful light.

You can hear the faint sound of the seagulls calling and hear the sound of the sea as it laps against the shore.

You can almost taste the salt born on the gentle breeze.

Everything is calm.

You breathe and relax,

Breathe and relax.

And in a moment I'm going to count you down those steps from ten down to zero.

And as I count you all the way down from ten down to zero I want you to imagine that each number is a step down towards that beautiful beach.

Another step down into deeper and deeper levels of relaxation.

Breathe and relax,

Breathe and relax.

So let's start now with ten,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

All the way down now to zero.

The rolling ocean in front of you glistening in the sunlight seems to entrance you with its gentle rhythm.

You walk slowly to the water's edge noticing the sand changing texture as you begin to feel the cool harder sand beneath your feet and notice the footprints that you're leaving behind you.

Before you realize it your toes and feet are in the cool water and you somehow feel the water is cleansing you.

You can feel the strength of the ocean as it washes over your feet and your ankles.

You feel part of something bigger,

Connected,

At one and somehow know you're gaining an understanding of yourself and all you offer.

Because I want you to realize something now and realize it well.

You are doing a truly amazing job.

You are strong and with that strength comes responsibility.

You have found yourself working in a caring profession,

Helping others at this time of need and just finding your way into that role is something to be truly proud of.

You may be in the medical profession,

A doctor,

A nurse or paramedic or in the forces,

The police,

The army,

A personal carer,

Teacher,

Delivery driver.

It really doesn't matter.

You are all key frontline workers and now is a time to understand how proud the nation is of you.

You are doing a truly amazing job,

A selfless job,

A job that you too can be proud of.

So allow yourself to let those feelings of pride fill every cell of your body.

Let those feelings build and build,

Filling you with strength,

Love,

Power.

Feel your inner strength.

It is there.

It is yours.

It is true.

You are amazing,

Strong,

Calm and confident.

At this time we mustn't forget that the world needs balance and so you must now take this time to regain that all-important balance that we all need as human beings.

So breathe and relax.

Breathe and relax.

And within this current situation people are having to pull together in a whole host of different ways to work out new ways of doing things,

New ways of approaching things and maybe you are finding in your own job that things are not like they used to be.

Systems are having to change and this can often feel unsettling for a while,

While the mind readjusts to the change.

You see we're all programmed to be wary of change.

In primitive times this would have kept us safe and saved us from making mistakes and we haven't lost that part of us.

It is still there,

Our primitive mind and even today that part of us,

Our primitive part of our brain,

Helps us to stay safe.

But when it's constantly on high alert,

As it is having to be at the moment,

We have to take these times when we're away from work to slow down,

Slow things down,

To take stock,

To give ourselves that self-care and love and to regain that all-important balance.

When we constantly stay in that fight-or-flight response it is known to weaken the immune system.

So in this time it is important to do positive activities like scheduling this time for you.

Take time now to feel grateful for the things around you.

Think about the good times in your life and what part of you helped bring those good times to you.

Everything is connected.

Feel connected to yourself,

Your values,

Your truth.

Hold those feelings as they make you who you are.

Strong,

Able,

Confident and aware.

So by listening to me now,

By choosing to be good to yourself,

You are making that decision that you are important and you can create that balance within you so that you are recharged,

Strong,

Looked after and ready for another day.

Looking after oneself is not a selfish thing to do.

In fact it is one of the most selfless things you can do.

If you always put others first without taking care of yourself and meeting your own needs,

You will find that you are constantly depleting your own resources.

So you can see now that you need to look after yourself too and make that your priority when you can.

And now is that time,

Your time.

Just deeply relaxing in this way is helping recharge you,

Helping you to get that all-important night's sleep,

That rest.

So breathe and relax.

Breathe and relax.

You know large streams from little fountains flow.

Tall oaks from little acorns grow.

So nurture those seeds that you're planting today.

Let them grow.

Let them grow.

And your subconscious mind can now communicate with your conscious mind and place a paramount importance on self-care.

Whether that is scheduling to play this track each day or at night before bedtime or just choosing to relax in this way and take a moment to breathe and relax.

Breathe and relax.

No matter where you are,

No matter what time of day,

You can now see the importance of this and will ensure that you take the same care over yourself as you're doing for others.

You are strong.

You are strong.

Breathe and relax.

And if you are about to go to sleep now,

May you have a wonderfully peaceful and restful night's sleep.

And when you awaken,

May you remember how strong and loved you are.

Breathe and relax.