This is a meditation that you can perform in the middle of your day,
Perhaps if you take a break for lunch,
If you're feeling like the day has gotten away from you,
That you haven't accomplished nearly as much as you had hoped to accomplish,
And if you're feeling anxious about how you're ever going to finish doing everything you need to do before the day is over.
Begin by finding a quiet place where you can be alone for a few minutes if possible.
I understand that if you're being pulled in many directions by people around you or your circumstances,
You may not be able to find a place to be alone,
But if you can find a way to at least be quiet and uninterrupted for a few minutes,
That would be helpful.
You can sit or stand or if possible lay down and close your eyes.
The first part of this meditation is to help you let go of the morning and whatever you felt you didn't accomplish then,
And to fully ground yourself in the present.
Begin by taking a long deep breath in,
Filling your lungs,
And feeling that you are breathing in the present.
Then relax and as you exhale,
Feel that you are breathing out the morning and letting go of whatever part of the morning you are holding onto.
Now let's do that again.
As you breathe in fully,
You breathe in and feel the present entering you.
As you relax and exhale,
Feel the morning and every part of the morning gently and completely leave your body and return its energy to the universe.
And one more time,
Breathe in the present and breathe out the morning.
And now in order to become more grounded in the present and out of the past,
Particularly if you find your mind gravitating towards all of the things you didn't do this morning,
And perhaps if you find your mind generating self-judgmental thoughts about how unproductive you've been,
You may find it helpful to call to mind all of the people around you,
Your co-workers,
Your family,
Your friends.
Remember and acknowledge that they too are very likely in the exact same situation as you,
Particularly in today's age nearly everyone feels saddled with too many things to do and with not nearly enough time to do them.
Remind yourself that many of us find ourselves not only feeling constantly behind,
But also feeling the second arrow of self-judgment for having fallen behind.
I suggest starting by focusing on the people around you because you may find it easier to feel compassion towards their situation than towards your own.
Depending on where you are right now,
You may even be able to open your eyes and see people,
Including people you know and care about,
And to see the feelings of worry and stress on their faces.
If not,
See if you can imagine even one person feeling this way and know that they,
Just like you,
Are feeling anxious,
Afraid,
Angry,
Out of control,
Or all of the above.
See if you can pause for just a few moments to feel compassion for them in the suffering that they are feeling.
Now with that feeling of compassion towards others present in you,
See if you can turn even a small amount of that compassion towards yourself.
If this is something that doesn't come easily to you,
Imagine yourself stepping outside of your body and into the body of a loved one,
Maybe a close friend or family member,
Who sees the pain you are in.
Now as you inhabit the body of that loved one,
Observing yourself from the outside,
Imagine the compassion that you would feel towards yourself,
And imagine what compassionate words or gestures you would extend towards yourself.
You might,
For example,
Remind yourself that there are many demands made upon you,
And that you are doing your best to respond to them while staying true to your own intentions and goals,
And that you merely are who you are,
That you have accomplished what you have and haven't accomplished what you haven't,
And that here you are now,
Having done your best.
Take a few moments to fully embody that loved one as you extend compassion towards yourself.
Now that you are feeling more grounded in the present and feeling compassion towards yourself,
The final part of this meditation is intended to help you to turn your attention to your intention for the next part of your day,
Which might be the next five minutes,
Or perhaps the rest of your work day,
Or even the rest of your day before you go to sleep.
Instead of focusing your attention directly on your plans or what you want to do next,
I suggest that you close your eyes and picture the most beautiful sunrise you have ever seen.
It might be on the horizon where you live,
Or perhaps your favorite beach,
Or somewhere you've never been but have long dreamed of going to.
What's important is that you imagine being there fully,
With the feeling that you are there now,
While the sun is beginning to rise over the horizon in all of its glory.
You see the gleam of sunlight and also feel its growing warmth.
Everything about this sunrise imbues you with the feeling that a brand new day,
Full of fresh and bountiful promise,
Lies ahead of you.
You are well rested from a night of peaceful sleep and are ready to embark on the journey that is your new day.
Your focus is fully on the pleasure of experiencing this sunrise right now and on the positive feelings that it gives you for the day ahead.
Take a few moments to ground yourself in this feeling that you are beginning a new day.
And now with this feeling of a fresh and energetic start to a new day ahead of you,
Open your eyes and regardless of whether it's midday or 6 o'clock at night,
See if you can keep that feeling of the sun rising and of being at the start of a new day fully present with you as you transition from this meditation to the rest of your day.
See if you can adopt that attitude of being here now,
Feeling refreshed,
Attentive,
Starting anew without any baggage from earlier in the day to carry with you and seeing the afternoon ahead of you as if the sun is rising and you have a brand new day ahead of you with all of its possibilities.
That's what the afternoon is to you now.
And if at any point in the day you again feel weighed down by everything you haven't completed or all of the tasks that lie ahead of you,
Feel free to return to this meditation to reground yourself and start your new day afresh.
