Are you ready to meditate with Corrie?
Make sure that you're all snuggly and warm in your bed,
That the light is just right in your room so you can relax your body and let go of your busy day.
Winter,
One of Tucker and Leo's friends,
Were hanging out at Tucker and Leo's house.
He'd come over to throw ball in their back garden.
Both Tucker and Leo really liked Winter.
He was a nice boy.
He was calm and Leo especially got along with him really well.
Tucker liked him too because of course he could be fun and energetic and he could run all over the garden and play ball with him.
But on this particular day,
Winter wasn't feeling so great.
He was actually having some issues with anxiety.
He sat down on the grass next to Leo.
Leo had stopped chasing the ball a while ago.
Leo said,
Are you okay,
Winter?
Winter said,
Not really.
I don't feel great today.
I'm okay,
I suppose.
I just don't feel good.
Tucker came bounding over with the ball in his mouth.
Come on,
Come on,
Winter,
Come on.
Let's play,
Let's play.
Winter said,
Let's take a five-minute break,
Tucker.
Tucker said,
I've got too much energy for that.
Way too much energy.
I'm going to go play over here.
And also I found a new hole I'm going to go dig and hopefully Mummy won't tell me off.
So nobody tell Mummy I'm digging in this hole,
Okay?
But I think this hole could be a very excitable hole.
It could be a hole that takes me to the pyramids.
You never know.
Tucker ran off to go dig his hole.
Leo laid his head down on Winter's legs.
Winter started to stroke between Leo's ears and down the centre of his nose.
It felt nice,
Calming,
Like he was holding a teddy bear or something.
Leo said,
You know,
I have issues with anxiety sometimes.
That's why I get Ives.
I think I just have that kind of personality.
I'm just really sensitive to things.
I'm sensitive to foods.
I'm sensitive to people.
I'm sensitive to the outside weather.
I really don't like thunder.
I don't like fireworks.
There's quite a few things that I don't like.
I don't like noisy,
Loud places.
I don't like lots and lots of children running around.
I just don't feel safe in those situations.
Winter said,
Yeah,
I know what you mean.
I don't know what is going on with me today.
It just feels like this dread feeling inside of my body.
My chest.
My heart.
It feels like.
.
.
You know,
Sometimes.
Do you ever get those thoughts,
Leo,
Where you feel like something really bad is going to happen and you have no reason to?
Like maybe something horrible,
Horrible,
Horrible is going to happen.
Like something bad could happen to someone you love.
Or maybe there would be like an accident when you're going to school.
Or maybe if you're on a plane,
The plane's going to crash.
Or maybe like when you're running,
You think in your mind,
Oh,
My gosh,
There could be a hole and I could fall down the hole or I could trip over something and fall.
And then maybe,
Maybe I'd fall and really hurt my face.
Do you ever get thoughts like that,
Leo?
Leo said,
You know,
Winter,
I think I do.
I think I do have those types of thoughts.
Winter said,
Yeah,
It's really horrible.
It's like I can be having a really okay day.
And then all of a sudden,
I get one of those thoughts that come into my mind,
And I can't seem to let it go.
And then I get really stressed and really anxious about it,
As if it's really going to happen.
Or like as if it did just happen.
And my whole body starts to feel really uncomfortable.
And I get like bellyache,
And I get headache,
And I get all stressed.
Do you ever get that?
Oh,
Yeah,
Yeah,
Yeah,
Yeah.
Said Leo.
Tucker shouted over from down at the bottom of the garden.
I think I can see the pyramids.
I can see them.
I can see them in my mind's eye.
Tucker didn't ever really get anxiety.
So he wouldn't really understand this conversation.
It was a good thing that he was digging down at the bottom of the garden.
Leo,
On the other hand,
Was quite a nervous dog.
Like he said,
He was nervous in lots of different situations.
Leo sat up.
You know,
One thing that's really good that I do when I'm anxious,
He said to Winter.
Winter said,
What?
He said,
I know everyone tells you to take a deep breath.
But it actually really helps.
I walk around,
And I just take some deep breaths.
And when I take the deep breaths,
It helps my body to relax.
And I can feel my heart slowing down.
Try it now.
Just take some calm breaths.
What's really good as well,
Said Leo,
Is if I tell myself everything's okay.
And I repeat it in my mind.
Everything's okay.
Everything's okay.
Everything is okay.
And sometimes I change it and I say,
Everything's going to be okay.
It's all right.
Everything's all right.
Just calm down.
Just take some deep breaths.
Everything's okay.
It's okay,
Brain.
We don't have to be anxious.
It's okay,
Body.
We don't have to be anxious.
Everything's okay.
And I keep breathing.
And I keep saying things.
And I keep breathing.
And I walk around.
And the walking around helps because it helps to distract me.
It's almost as if I focus on feeling the ground underneath my paws.
And I keep saying,
Everything's okay,
Leo.
Everything's okay.
As if I'm talking to myself.
It sounds a bit crazy.
Tucker would think I was crazy.
But you know,
It really works.
Do you want to try it with me?
Winter stood up and said,
Yeah,
Let's do it.
They were walking around in circles together in the garden,
Mumbling things under their breath.
Tucker noticed.
He ran over.
What are we doing?
What are we doing?
What is it that we're doing?
Are we playing?
No,
We're playing.
I like to play in circles.
I like to chase my tail in circles.
I also like to run around in circles and pretend that I'm an helicopter.
I also like to run around in circles and pretend that someone's chasing me when I'm bored because then it feels like someone's playing with me and I'm not alone.
And sometimes I like to run in circles and pretend that I'm a fairy and I'm spinning a big fluffy dress.
And sometimes I like to run in circles and pretend that I'm being chased by a monster.
And I'm running so fast that they'll never,
Ever,
Ever,
Ever catch me.
And sometimes I like to run in circles.
Leo said,
Just walk.
Just walk in circles.
Don't talk out loud.
Try talking underneath your breath,
Tucker.
And keep saying to yourself,
Everything's okay.
Like this.
Everything's okay.
Everything is okay.
Everything's just jolly dandy.
Everything's just blooming lovely.
Everything is delicious.
So everything is just perfect.
Yeah.
Said Leo.
Whatever you want to say,
Tucker.
You walk around in circles and you take nice big,
Deep breaths and you walk and you say things to yourself in your mind.
And if you don't want to walk around in circles,
You can just walk back and forward and you can pace because pacing feels good too.
Ooh,
I like pacing.
Said Tucker.
Winter was just walking back and forth.
At some points he had his eyes closed,
Taking big,
Deep breaths that felt really good in his body.
He said out loud,
I think it's helping.
Leo said,
Yeah,
I told you.
It does.
It helps me every time.
Tucker said,
What is it helping?
Is it helping something?
What is it helping?
Is it helping him get to pyramids?
Is he thinking about prepping himself to go over to my hole in the garden and dive in and go to the pyramids?
Leo said,
No,
No.
Winter's just not feeling so great right now.
So he needed to feel like he needed to calm down a little bit.
That's what we're doing.
We're calming down,
Tucker.
Tucker said,
Oh,
I'm not very familiar with calming down.
I don't like it so much.
I like to be running and playing.
I think I'll just leave you guys to it because I've got so close to the pyramids with my hole.
I'm so close.
Tucker ran off and went back to his hole.
Eventually,
After a while,
Winter and Leo felt like it was good time to stop.
They sat down and Winter started to play with Leo's ears,
Which also felt very calming and relaxing.
Winter said,
I can understand why people have those pets that are there to help them all the time,
Like a stress pet or whatever it is that they're called.
Leo said,
Oh,
Like a support dog?
Winter said,
Yeah,
Yeah,
I get it.
I get it.
Feels really relaxing when I touch your fur and play with your ears and stuff.
Leo said,
It's nice for me too.
And they sat there for a while,
Just quiet in the garden.
Winter felt calm and relaxed and all of his anxiety had gone away.
And now he was smiling as he was watching Tucker dig in a silly hole that he thought was going to take him to the pyramids.
Obviously it wasn't.
But you know,
You just never know,
Do you?
The end.
