Hello my friend.
So one thing it's good for us to know we can do is that we can be compassionate towards our emotional experience in whatever form or shape it manifests.
Compassion is unconditional,
That's its very nature.
What it means is we care about our humanity.
We care about all humanity and we include ourselves in that circle of care and we're not waiting for anything to change in order to feel caring.
It's that simple.
But it can feel difficult when we're having a motion.
Your emotions might never have been received or been received enough in this world.
But you can be the one who breaks this pattern.
When your shame is telling you you're not enough,
When your shame is telling you it's not okay to feel something,
When your shame is telling you you need to push harder to get where you want to be because you're not there yet,
Or when your shame is telling you there's something wrong with you.
There's nothing wrong with you my friend,
You're not damaged.
Shame gives us the illusion that to be human you have to be something other than what it is in fact to be human,
Which is to make mistakes,
To not be perfect,
To have feelings.
Right?
The things that make us human are not being productive,
That doesn't make you human,
Doing lots of things that doesn't make you human,
Achieving,
Pleasing everybody.
You're human because you're human and being human is very precious and when we attune to self-compassion it's very difficult for shame to have any presence.
We're giving caring to the whole real human experience.
So let's take a pause for some calming self-compassion.
Self-compassion reminds you that you've always been enough,
That you are always showing up and doing your best,
The best you can do and that's plenty,
There's no more to be done than that.
So you don't have to do anything special for this practice except be here and do it in your own way and I'll give some guidance.
Just find any position that's comfortable for you,
Maybe something informal where you can loosen up a bit and let go.
If you want to you can let your eyes close or just soften your gaze.
And now tune into your breathing and if it feels okay invite yourself to take one slightly slower breath in,
Followed by a longer easier breath out and again taking one slow breath in and then lengthening that easy exhale feeling everything land.
You're just landing and there's nothing to fix or achieve.
Now bring to mind one thing that's a little hard for you right now.
It doesn't have to be the hardest thing in your life,
Just something that's really there,
Some struggle or difficulty.
Maybe you're exhausted,
Maybe you feel behind,
Maybe you're just being hard on yourself,
You can't seem to stop even though it doesn't feel good.
Simply name it gently in your own words,
How would you describe it?
Now I'm going to give you some words to offer this struggle,
This difficulty,
So you might repeat these.
This is hard for me,
This creates feelings of stress,
I'm experiencing some pain here.
You don't have to argue with it,
Just let it be true and take a breath in and a breath out and remember you are not the only human feeling this way.
Right now many people all over the world are struggling with tiredness,
With burnout,
With feeling self-doubt or shame and it's really uncomfortable and difficult for them too.
They might even be feeling alone.
So you might softly say,
I am not alone in this.
Other people struggle like this too.
This is a part of being human and I am just like every other human.
See if you can melt your muscles into that,
That long exhalation allowing everything to loosen and descend.
Let yourself lean in even a little into that shared humanity and if it feels okay,
Place a hand where it feels comforting.
So maybe it's on your heart,
Your chest or your belly or just rest your hands anywhere that feels easy and you're sensing now that gentle pressure or a warmth that's spreading there and feel that as the hand of compassion,
Soothing,
Encouraging,
Affirming that you are doing the best you can.
And say to yourself,
I am doing the best I can and let it land.
And now again a little more fully,
I am doing the best I can with the energy and resources I have today.
Feel into your body,
Notice what is arising.
There may be some relief,
There may be some doubt or there may be nothing at all.
Whatever you notice,
Can you welcome it?
Be welcoming.
There's resistance you might add.
Part of me doesn't believe this.
It is still true that I am doing the best I can and I'm willing to offer myself this kindness.
There's no need to force anything,
Just let your words be like a soft blanket,
Not a command.
And now gently ask yourself,
What do I need right now or just for the rest of today?
Not for your whole life,
Just for right now.
When you ask your body,
What do I need right now?
It will tell you.
Whatever comes,
You might say,
What I need matters.
I'm allowed to be kind to myself.
It's important to be kind to yourself because it will strengthen you.
It's healthy for you.
Now as we come toward a close,
Invite yourself to feel your body.
Again,
Your feet or your seat supported.
How your clothes are touching your skin,
Maybe around your neck or your arms.
Any sounds around you.
And one last time,
Quietly say,
I am doing the best I can.
And I'm grateful to myself for that.
You are worthy of appreciation and kindness.
Just as you are.
And then when you're ready,
You can gently bring yourself back,
Opening your eyes or lifting your gaze.
And let yourself continue to carry this kindness in some way with you into whatever comes next.
Thank you for practicing this today.
The more we bring compassion in to our own being,
The more we're bringing compassion to life.
So it's a big thing that may feel like a small thing.
Come back anytime.
Until next time.
Bye for now.
