My mum told me growing up that anxiety is praying for what you don't want to happen.
So what we're going to be doing in this meditation is focusing on what you do want to happen.
Focusing on the future that you really want.
If you don't have a dream,
How can you have a dream come true?
This is a technique that is used a lot in sports psychology where athletes and sports people imagine themselves winning or scoring goals and it's been found again and again to really improve people's performance and make it more likely that they do score the goal or perform at their best.
And what I'm going to guide you through doing is imagining your ideal day a year from now.
Imagining that everything has gone brilliantly for you over the next 12 months and picturing what your life is going to be like.
Don't worry if right now it all feels a bit unclear,
You're not really sure what you want.
Just trust that something will come to you in the meditation and if it doesn't,
If there's something,
Some area of your life that feels very unclear,
That's also okay,
You can just acknowledge that.
So let's start off by taking some deeper breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Filling the lungs to maximum capacity and letting all the air out.
Imagining that you're breathing in calm and breathing out tension.
Allowing your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Feeling the weight of the body sinking down into the chair,
Into the floor.
Imagining that you're relaxing into your favourite armchair at the end of a long day.
Softening your forehead,
Softening your jaw.
Allowing your shoulders to relax back and down a little bit more.
Breathing into a softening belly.
Allowing a slight smile and imagining that smile permeating your mind and body.
And now fast forwarding to a year from now and imagining that you've had the most fantastic year of your life.
That everything has gone brilliantly for you.
In terms of your health,
Your happiness,
Your job,
Your finances,
Your relationships,
Everything.
Imagine waking up in your ideal home,
In your ideal place.
Noticing what your house looks like,
The size of it,
The location,
The decor.
Imagining the sound of birds and the sunlight coming through the window.
The softness of the bedding as you gradually wake up.
And imagine that you're feeling really excited about the day ahead.
Picturing your ideal morning routine that sets you up mentally,
Physically and emotionally.
Imagining yourself arriving at work,
Being greeted warmly by your colleagues.
Imagining doing your ideal job.
Work that makes you feel fulfilled.
It feels meaningful to you.
It plays to your strengths.
Imagine feeling really appreciated by your colleagues,
The people you work with.
Imagine the impact that your work is having on yourself,
On other people,
On the wider world.
Imagine what time you finish work and how you spend your ideal evening.
Do you do something relaxing or fun?
Are you by yourself or with other people?
And imagining getting into bed at the end of the day,
Feeling really grateful for your life.
And grateful to all the people who have supported you along the way.
Noticing how you feel in your body right now.
Bringing the attention back to the contact with the chair and the feet on the floor.
When you're ready,
Slowly opening the eyes.
Noticing how you feel.
And I recommend taking some time to draw this vision on a piece of paper.
Even if it's just words and stick people.
To make it vivid and colourful.
Specific.
So you know what it is you really want.
And then to reflect on what's one step you could take towards creating this vision this week.
May all your dreams come true.
Let me know if anything changes for you as a result of doing this meditation.
Thank you and wishing you all the best.
