Welcome to the I Am Enough Meditation.
If you're here,
You might be someone who's faced a lot of criticism,
Perhaps growing up.
Perhaps you face criticism today.
You might be your own worst critic.
There might be a lot of you should and you ought tos in your life.
Or you might be facing some self-doubt.
Whatever the reason,
You're in the right place.
So take a moment to get comfortable either sitting in a chair with your hand resting in your lap or lying on the floor with your hands and arms out at your side.
I'd like you to draw your awareness to your breath.
Simply noticing the inhalation and the exhalation.
Not trying to control your breath in any way.
For the most part,
We're gently breathing in and out through the nose.
But if you feel like you need to slough off any tension at any time,
You can always take an inhale,
Open your mouth and just sigh it out.
And then return to breathing in and out through your nose.
As we're watching our breath,
Noticing the inhalation and exhalation.
Some thoughts might surface.
And for the time being,
Acknowledge them and allow them to float by like clouds.
If it's helpful,
Some people like to imagine a protective bubble or call on the universe or whatever they believe in to support them in this moment.
So take a moment to create a safe space for yourself,
Letting the outside world stay out for the time being.
And remembering that if any emotion becomes too much,
You can come out of this meditation altogether or simply return to your breath.
You are in control.
We all have an inner critic and it often has not very nice things to say to us.
So I'd like you to take a moment and ask yourself,
What does my inner critic say to me?
For example,
You're not good enough to do that.
You're not smart enough.
You're unlovable.
These are some extreme examples.
What does your inner critic tell you?
I'm going to be quiet for a moment.
Now ask yourself,
What are the themes of my inner critic?
What does it tell me stories about?
For example,
The themes could be resounding thoughts of,
I am not smart enough to do X,
Y,
And Z,
Or people my age can't do this.
A lot of times those stories repeat themselves in patterns.
So take a moment to notice themes of your inner critic.
Ask yourself,
How do you respond when that critic shows up?
Perhaps it's stress.
Perhaps you want to retreat from the world and sleep more.
Or eat your favorite unhealthy food as a comfort food.
How do you respond when that critic shows up?
I'll be quiet for a moment while you reflect on this.
So if your critic took physical form,
What would it look like?
I'm not asking you to call to mind a specific person,
But maybe you see an image of a person,
Or an animal,
Or even a color,
Or a shape.
If your inner critic was in front of you,
How would it appear?
If you were to give your critic a name,
What would it be?
It doesn't even have to be a human name.
It could be a word,
A symbol.
If you were to give it a name,
What would it be?
We know that our thoughts direct our experience.
Our thoughts drive our emotions.
Our body seeks to respond to our mind.
So when we're stressed,
We find ourself tensing up.
And we start to scan the world for support.
For evidence to support what we're thinking,
Good or bad.
So as we think about this inner critic saying not so nice things to us,
What might you say to silence this inner critic?
For example,
I am smart enough.
If I failed a test or an experience,
Perhaps I need to study more,
Reach out for a tutor,
Become more educated on a subject.
This is just one example.
Or maybe I didn't do so well in this area,
But I really excelled in this other area.
They required similar skills.
So I do have this talent,
This skill.
Again,
Just an example.
What might you say to silence your inner critic?
I'll be quiet for a moment.
Simply return to your breath,
Letting those thoughts float by for a moment like clouds.
Simply noticing your inhalation and exhalation.
Ask yourself,
What are my main strengths?
What am I really good at?
It could be a talent.
It could be a way of being.
For example,
I'm really good at being a supportive listener.
I'm a really good friend.
Ask yourself,
What are my key values?
For example,
You might say,
I am a trustworthy person.
I'm an honest person.
My values are honesty and trust.
I'll be quiet for a moment while you ask yourself,
What are my values?
And last,
Ask yourself,
What can I do to use my strengths and live my values?
Once again,
What can I do to use my strengths and live in my values?
Now gently return to your breath,
Noticing the inhalation and exhalation,
Feeling your ribcage expand and contract as you breathe,
Noticing the air filling your lungs.
And the hardest part of today's mindfulness activity is saying to yourself,
I am enough.
Take a few more breaths here.
And when you're ready,
Kind of wiggle your fingers and toes,
Rock your head from side to side,
Bringing yourself back into the room and back into the rest of your day.
Thank you for joining me.
