Meditation When Feeling Overwhelmed
This is a space you can return to whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed or hopeless. You can practice using your breath as a consistent calming tool, and one version of the ABCs (Awareness, Breath, Choice) —a simple framework to help ground and guide you through challenging emotions during this difficult time. Always check with your doctor if you have questions or concerns about breathing or physical exercises.
Transcript
Welcome to this guided meditation.
My name is Angela and given the devastation from the LA fires,
The unimaginable loss,
It all seems so surreal.
I felt compelled to create a calming safe space where you can return to whenever you're feeling overwhelmed by difficult emotions,
Maybe feeling in shock,
Deep sadness,
Anger,
Guilt,
Gratitude,
Or all over the place.
Today I'll guide you with a grounding tool called ABC that you can use wherever you are.
You can also share it with your loved ones,
Your children,
Or someone who may need it.
Let's begin.
Get yourself in a comfortable position,
Either seated or laying down,
Bringing your awareness to your body and your breath.
Anytime you get distracted by a sound,
A thought,
Tension in your body,
Or anything else,
Practice using your breath as a way to redirect your attention back to the present moment and this exercise.
Practice letting yourself feel your breath.
Enter and exit your nose.
Now we'll start by taking a deep breath in through your nose,
Breathing in relaxation,
And a deep breath out your mouth,
Exhaling tension.
Another deep breath in through your nose,
Breathing in relaxation,
And a deep breath out your mouth,
Exhaling tension.
Once more,
Taking a deep breath in through your nose,
Breathing in relaxation,
And a deep breath out your mouth,
Exhaling tension.
Let yourself settle into your body.
Feel the ground below you holding you up.
Whether you're sitting or laying down,
And as if your body were a tree,
Use your imagination to get really connected to the surface beneath you.
Feeling your roots extending deep into the ground,
Anchoring you,
Providing you stability.
Notice the strength of your core.
Throughout this practice,
Whenever your thoughts drift or if you get distracted,
Bring your attention back to your breath.
Feel yourself grounded yet open.
This ABC grounding tool is a way to help you feel a bit more calm when your emotions are difficult and overwhelming.
ABC awareness,
Breath,
Choice.
ABC awareness,
Breath,
Choice.
ABC awareness,
Breath,
Choice.
Let's start with awareness of your feelings and thoughts.
The eight basic feelings are anger,
Fear,
Shame,
Guilt,
Pain,
Joy,
Passion,
Love.
Awareness is the practice of noticing your feelings,
Becoming aware of your thoughts,
Naming them in your mind,
Paying attention to them on purpose,
In the present moment,
And without judgment.
There are several ways you can do this.
You may see the feeling or thought in your mind's eye as words or images.
You may also feel the feelings in certain parts of your body,
Maybe your head,
Your shoulders,
Your stomach.
I will help you practice awareness with a visualization.
Try each of these and see which you like best or you may be inspired to come up with your own method of awareness and letting go.
Start by visualizing clouds in the sky.
In your mind's eye,
Look up at the sky.
Really see those clouds.
Each thought or feeling is resting on a cloud in the sky.
You're aware of the thoughts,
You're aware of the feelings,
And you see them floating and drifting away slowly,
Constantly moving and will eventually disappear.
Now we'll try another visualization.
Imagine yourself on a train watching the scenery pass by.
Each scene as you look out the window is a feeling or a thought.
You're aware of them but you're still moving forward on your path in life,
Doing your routines,
Taking care of yourself,
Healing,
Growing,
And all the while you're aware of the scenery as you look out the windows of the train.
That scenery of feelings and thoughts,
They're there and they're also temporary.
One last visual we'll try is with cars.
I want you to imagine you're sitting on a park bench and across the way you can see cars driving by.
Each thought or feeling is inside each car as it drives by.
You're aware of the thoughts,
You're aware of the feelings,
And you see them drive away,
Some fast,
Some slow,
But constantly moving and will eventually disappear.
Our feelings and thoughts can be just temporary,
Rather comfortable or uncomfortable.
Awareness allows us to manage the overwhelming emotions by paying attention on purpose in the present moment,
Non-judgmentally.
ABC awareness,
Breath,
Choice.
Now turn your attention to your breath.
The breath is a powerful grounding tool to help calm your nervous system.
Place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your diaphragm.
See if you can feel your heartbeat or your body move with each inhale and exhale.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Inviting relaxation,
And exhale out your mouth,
Releasing tension.
Remember anytime you get distracted by a sound,
A thought,
Tension in your body or anything else,
Practice using your breath as a way to redirect your attention back to the present moment and this exercise.
Practice letting yourself feel your breath enter and exit through your nose.
Taking one more deep breath in through your nose,
Breathing in relaxation and exhaling out your mouth,
Exhaling tension.
We'll start with one of my favorite breathing exercises which is the four seven eight breath.
I'll walk you through it now.
Inhale deeply for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold your breath for a count of seven.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Exhale fully for a count of eight.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Practice that once more.
Inhale deeply for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold your breath for a count of seven.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven.
Exhale fully for a count of eight.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
Eight.
Let your breath rise and fall naturally for a moment.
Another breathing exercise some people find useful is box breathing.
We'll go ahead and practice that now.
Inhaling deeply for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold your breath for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhaling for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold your breath again for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Let your breath rise and fall naturally.
We'll try the box breathing one more time.
Inhaling for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold your breath for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold your breath again for a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Let your breath rise and fall naturally.
Reminder again,
Your breath is a powerful grounding tool to help calm your nervous system available to you at any time.
Awareness,
Breath,
Choice,
ABC.
Now I'll direct your attention to choice.
When we feel overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted,
We might think we're stuck.
We might not think about all our options at all.
Choice gives us the opportunity to grow,
To heal,
And to change our current state of mind and feelings.
Think about what choices are available to you in this moment.
They may be much different from the past.
There may be massive choices to make on a level,
But for this exercise I want you to practice focusing on the micro level.
What small actions or changes could you make to feel more at ease or aligned with yourself in this moment?
Even the smallest choice or change can create a ripple effect.
Visualize yourself at a crossroads.
One path is your immediate automatic response,
Maybe feeling stuck,
Unfair,
Helpless,
Hopeless.
And now visualize your mind on another path.
It's unfamiliar,
But it pushes you a bit to think and make your vision work a bit harder.
Some ways to embrace choice with the other path is in the form of action or shifting perspective from a different angle.
Letting yourself feel whatever you're feeling in a healthy way,
Connecting with community,
Moving your body.
Notice what small choices you can make in this moment.
ABC awareness,
Breath,
Choice.
Use this tool in those moments of overwhelm.
Think about being aware,
Taking a breath,
And what choice you have in the moment.
Let's close this meditation with gratitude.
It's a great habit to develop asking yourself what you're grateful for every day,
No matter the day,
The circumstance,
Or the situation.
Feelings you're having could be for a person,
An experience,
Or even the simple act of showing up for yourself today.
If you'd like,
You can say it aloud or you can hold it quietly in your heart.
Breathe in what you're grateful for.
And as you exhale,
Think about breathing out what you want to let go of.
Again,
Breathe in what you're grateful for and exhale out what you'd want to release.
Thank you for listening and taking the time for yourself.
Remember you can come back to this meditation at any time and you can use this ABC grounding tool wherever you are,
Whenever you need it.
It's helpful to have a daily meditation practice,
Especially when your emotions are not escalated and when you're calm,
So that you can strengthen that skill and build that muscle for when you really need it in those tough moments.
You can also share this meditation or this ABC grounding tool with your loved ones as a gift for someone who needs it.
I am so deeply sorry for any loss or suffering you may have experienced.
Please know you can return to this space whenever you need to.
Thank you.
