Hi,
I'm Fiona from Acorn Counselling.
If you've chosen to listen to this meditation,
You're probably feeling overwhelmed right now.
Maybe it's emotion.
Maybe it's events.
Maybe it's just everything.
All at once,
That tight,
Anxious feeling like you're stretched too thin and don't quite know how to manage it all.
If that's where you are,
This is for you.
You don't need to figure anything out.
You don't need to calm down perfectly.
Just give yourself these next few minutes,
A pause,
A breath,
A chance to come back to yourself gently.
And when you're ready,
We'll begin together.
Overwhelm can show up in all kinds of ways.
You might find yourself putting things off,
Binge watching shows you don't even enjoy,
Doom scrolling without knowing what you're looking for,
Snapping up at people you care about or just feeling flat and disconnected.
And often it's not just the situation.
It's the thoughts that come with it.
I can't do this,
There's too much,
I'm not coping,
Something's wrong with me.
Those thoughts can quickly spiral.
And when they do,
They tend to bring difficult emotions,
Guilt,
Frustration,
Sadness,
Even shame.
If you're in that place now,
Please know you're not the only one and you're not alone.
Overwhelm is a normal human response to too much input,
Not enough support or a combination of the two.
The experience becomes more intense when we start to believe every thought.
Our mind offers up.
But a thought is not a fact.
It's just a mental event shaped by past experiences,
Current stresses,
And what your brain is trying to protect you from.
And even in those moments,
You are capable of riding the wave of what you're feeling.
You don't need to eliminate the thoughts.
You just need to notice them and come back to what's real right now.
So let's start there.
Now take a moment to check in with what's actually going on in your mind.
And just notice what thoughts are showing up for you right now.
Maybe it sounds like,
I can't do this.
There's too much.
I've fallen really behind.
I can't get back from this.
I'm not cut out for this.
These thoughts can feel intense.
And when they loop,
They can quickly lead to feelings of guilt.
Frustration.
Depression.
Sadness.
Shame.
But thoughts are not facts.
They are mental events shaped by stress,
Past experiences,
And protective patterns.
You don't need to believe everything your mind is saying.
Overwhelm often stems from not knowing what to do next.
Not having a plan.
From being overstimulated,
Overstretched,
Or overcommitted.
So let's start with something simple and effective.
Something that can help regulate your system right now in this moment.
Let's take two slow breaths together.
Inhale gently through your nose for a count of four.
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six.
And again,
Inhale for four.
Two,
Three,
Four.
And exhale for six.
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
This kind of breathing,
With a longer exhale than inhale,
Helps to calm your nervous system.
It tells your body,
I am safe enough to slow down.
So even when the thoughts are loud,
This moment can be quiet.
And if your mind wanders,
You just bring it back to the breath.
You've been here before,
And you've made it through.
You're doing enough.
You are enough.
Let's end here with a quiet reminder.
Overwhelm does not mean you've failed.
It does not mean you're broken.
It just means your system has been doing a lot,
Maybe too much,
For too long.
The thoughts may still come and go.
The emotions may still rise and fall.
But you've just created space.
You've paused.
You've regulated.
And you've reminded yourself that when you can respond gently,
Even when things feel loud,
You can take control.
And so now,
Just taking one last breath in,
And a slow breath out.
And as you move forward from here,
See if you can take that sense of pause with you,
Even just a little.
You are not alone.
You are not too much.
And you're allowed to move through this moment without needing to fix everything all at once.
I hope this meditation landed with you in the way you needed it to.
And I hope you feel just a little more grounded,
A little more capable,
And a little more you.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for showing up.
You did something beautiful by pausing.
Let that be enough.
