Are you ready to meditate with Kari?
Get comfortable so that your body can relax.
It's time to maybe close your eyes as you listen to the meditation story.
Try not to fiddle around and move so much.
Let your body start to get still and quiet.
Veya was having trouble sleeping.
Heidi had not yet fell asleep.
Cherry was fast asleep.
Veya just couldn't sleep.
She was feeling anxious and irritated and she did not know why.
She was talking to Heidi and Heidi was trying to help her to fall to sleep.
Veya said,
I just feel so worried.
I just feel so worried.
And I can't sleep.
When I close my eyes,
I get all these visions of things,
Like bad things,
Like people I love,
Things happening,
And scary things,
And monsters under the bed.
I just can't sleep,
Heidi.
I've been trying for hours and hours and hours.
Heidi said,
Don't worry.
Sometimes the more that you try and go to sleep,
The harder it is.
It's like you almost psych yourself out.
Oh,
I must go to sleep.
Oh,
I have to go to sleep.
I'm so tired.
I must go to sleep.
Oh,
There's school tomorrow.
I need to sleep.
Oh,
I have this thing tomorrow.
I have to sleep.
And before you know it,
You stress yourself out even more about not being asleep when you're supposed to be asleep,
Which doesn't help at all,
Does it?
Veya said,
Oh,
No,
It doesn't.
And I've been doing that too.
How did you know I've been doing that?
I've been getting really upset with myself for not being asleep when I'm supposed to be asleep.
I just want to go to sleep.
But every time I close my eyes,
I get worried.
Heidi said,
Maybe you should tell me everything that you're worried about.
Get it all out of your mind,
All out of your body so that you can just relax and let it go.
How about we try that?
Veya said,
Hmm,
He thinks that's a really good idea.
Okay,
Well,
I'm worried about my birthday.
Heidi said,
It's not your birthday for another seven months.
Veya said,
Yeah,
Me knows,
But I'm still worried.
I'm worried about the party and who I'll invite and what I'll wear.
Heidi said,
I have an idea.
How about this?
How about you tell yourself that there's no point in worrying about something that far in the future,
Because there's nothing you can do about it.
It's way too far away.
The things that you're allowed to worry about are the things that are happening right now in this moment,
Or maybe tomorrow,
Or maybe just this week.
How about that?
Don't allow yourself to worry about anything further than a week after this week,
Because that's pointless.
You're just wasting your worries,
Wasting your energy,
Wasting your good energy on worries that are way too far away for you to change or do anything about or haven't even happened yet.
You're worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet.
Veya said,
Me knows.
It's crazy.
I know.
Okay,
I'm going to let that go.
No point in worrying about something seven months away,
Right?
Okay,
I'm also worried about something bad happening to all of us.
Heidi said,
Like what?
Veya said,
He doesn't know.
Just something bad.
Because I love you and I love Cherry so much.
And I worry that something bad is going to happen and maybe I'm going to be left all alone.
Oh,
Veya,
Said Heidi,
You know that we can never ever predict what's going to happen.
And sometimes things are just out of our control.
There's no point in worrying about something like that.
Again,
I'm going to remind you of our new worry rule.
You could only worry about what's happening right now in this moment or tomorrow.
No further than the end of this week.
Veya said,
But something could happen tomorrow.
Heidi said,
Yes,
That's right,
Veya.
Something could happen any moment.
But it's a waste of energy and it's pointless worry worrying about something that's completely out of your control.
You never know what's going to happen.
And to be pessimistic and just be worried about bad things happening all the time is a horrible way to be.
You have to stop yourself from doing that.
I have an idea.
Whenever you have a bad pessimistic worry,
That means you're being very dark or negative about something that could happen.
That's pessimistic.
Everything's always bad or wrong or negative.
Let's change it.
It's called cognitive behavioral therapy.
Kari told me all about it and I've read all about it in books.
Basically,
What it means is changing a thought pattern.
So you're going to do this.
Anytime you worry about something happening to me or Cherry,
You say to yourself,
No.
And you stop yourself from thinking the bad pessimistic thought.
So say you say,
It's going to rain tomorrow.
And if it rains tomorrow,
It's going to ruin the garden.
Then we're going to ruin all our vegetables.
You stop yourself.
No,
You stop yourself going down the pessimistic track.
You stop the pessimistic thoughts.
It also works if you wear one of your hair bands on one of your paws.
And every time you have a negative thought,
You smack the hairband around your wrist just enough for it to go out.
And that stops the negative thought.
And then you replace it with a positive thought.
Like if it rains tomorrow,
That will be really nice because it would be good for the plants.
Right.
Do you get me?
Bea said,
Yeah,
Me gets you.
I think that that's a really good idea,
Heidi.
Cognitive behavioral therapy.
I like it.
I'm going to start to do it because,
You know,
When I have my negative thoughts,
Then I feel really sad.
Or really worried or really anxious like I do right now and I can't sleep.
So I'm going to stop myself from doing it because I'm my own boss.
Right.
Heidi said,
That's it,
Bea.
You've got it.
At this point,
Cherry started stirring.
She could hear the other cats talking.
She opened one of her eyes.
OMG,
You two.
What are you doing?
I'm trying to sleep.
Heidi said,
Bea is having a hard time going to sleep.
She needs some help.
Cherry said,
Oh,
Bea,
Come here.
Come here.
She put one of her paws around Bea's neck and shoulders and pulled her in tight to give her a snuggle.
Don't that feel nice?
You know,
Whenever I'm worried about anything or I'm like having a bad time falling to sleep,
I like to snuggle something like me and you snuggling right now.
I feel so nice and comforting.
I don't feel alone.
I don't feel stressed.
I don't feel cold because I'm cuddling something nice and warm like you.
And you know,
It feels really nice to just snuggle and cuggle because everything I need in the world is right there in my arms.
I'm snuggling and cuggling you,
Bea,
And I'm loving on you and everything is good to go.
You know,
And if you don't have anything,
Like if me or Heidi's not here when you can't sleep and you're really worried or you're really anxious,
Snuggle a teddy bear or snuggle something soft and warm like a soft snuggly warm cuggly blanket.
That always works for me too,
You know,
Because then I can just pretend that my cuggly warm blankets all wrapped around me and it's keeping me nice and safe,
Protecting me from the rest of the world when I want to go to sleep and I just want to relax.
Bea said,
That's a really good idea.
Me thinks that's really good and you know,
This cuddle feels really nice,
Cherry.
Thank you.
Cherry said,
No worries.
I can give you a cuddle anytime you want.
Free cuggles anyone.
Heidi,
Come here,
Come here.
She put out her other paw and dragged Heidi into the opposite shoulder.
So she had both of Heidi and Bea's heads on her chest.
Isn't that nice?
It's so nice to snuggle and cuggle.
Cuggling is one of my best things that I do.
I'm so good at cuggling.
I've been told by lots and lots of people that I'm one of the bestest cugglers in the world.
You know,
When you hug me,
You just feel relieved.
Don't you?
Do you two feel relieved right now?
She looked down at Heidi and Bea.
Heidi and Bea looked up and both nodded.
Yeah,
I knew it.
I knew it because I'm the bestest hugger and the bestest snuggler and the bestest cuggler in the entire world.
I mean,
I'm not blowing my own horn or anything.
Well,
I am because I like to do that.
Because when I blow my own horn,
When I talk good about myself,
It makes me feel good.
And then I'm not so worried about the world.
You know,
If I'm worried about anything for you,
I just say,
Cherry,
You're awesome.
Cherry,
You're the best hugger.
Cherry,
You're the best skydiver.
Cherry,
You are so good at skiing.
Cherry,
You know what?
You're such a good friend.
Cherry,
You know what?
You're so gracious and kind and sweet and funny.
And I just go on and on and on.
I could go on and on and on about all the good things that I am.
And you know what,
Bea?
It always makes me feel better.
Try it.
Try it right now.
Bea said,
Mmm,
Bea,
You are such a good princess.
Bea,
You're such a good dancer.
Bea,
You're so sweet and kind and loving to all the animals and all the people all over the world.
Bea,
I love you.
It works,
Cherry.
You're right.
I do feel better.
Thank you.
See,
I'm also very smart.
I am not as smart as Heidi,
I must say,
But I am smart.
I'm so smart.
I am so smart that I am like,
What am I like?
A dictionary.
I am,
No,
I'm not.
That's a bit of an exaggeration.
Heidi on the other hand is like a dictionary.
I'm more like one or two Wikipedia searches.
Yeah,
I'm more like that.
I'm all like,
No,
I'm definitely not like Google.
Google's way too smart.
I am.
I'm as smart as,
I don't know,
Einstein.
Einstein was smart,
Weren't he,
Heidi?
Heidi said,
Einstein was very smart.
Yeah,
That's me then.
I am as smart as Einstein.
Yeah,
I'm so smart.
Anyway,
Can we be quiet now?
Because I was in a really nice sleep.
I was having a really nice dream about this handsome cat.
And this handsome cat was taking me on a walk in the park.
And he was holding one of my paws and he was smooching in for a nice warm cudgle.
Yeah,
I'm going back to sleep.
You two stay right there because you'll feel like my handsome cat snuggling me.
Love you.
Good night.
Go to sleep,
Fair.
Heidi closed her eyes.
Cherry was gone.
She was already back asleep snoring away.
They closed her eyes and in her mind,
She was telling herself all of the wonderful things that she was.
This was making her feel good about herself.
It was stopping her from worrying.
And it was raising her happy vibes.
And when you're happy and you feel good,
You can fall to sleep.
The end.
Try it right now.
Try it with your eyes closed,
Being really,
Really still,
Saying all the wonderful things that you can possibly say about yourself.
Go.
