Honor And Practice Self Care

Indulge in a soothing meditation audio designed to nurture your well-being. Immerse yourself in a serene oasis as gentle music and guided relaxation transport you to a place of inner peace and tranquility. Give yourself the gift of self-care and let this meditation audio rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul.

Transcript

Hi there,

This is Deanna with Meditate with Deanna.

Thank you for joining me for this trance meditation to place a focus on honoring your own self-care.

Before we get started,

I'd like you to find a comfortable spot where you will not be disturbed,

And remove your smart watch if you're wearing one,

And turn off any notifications on your cell phone,

So that you can fully commit to this wonderful time for yourself.

And once you get comfortable,

You can do this either lying down or sitting up.

Sitting up is preferred with your spine straight,

So that you don't drift off to sleep,

But whatever you are more comfortable doing is fine.

And now,

I want you to begin on focusing on intentional breathing.

Nice deep breaths in through the nose,

And holding just for a moment,

And then exhaling out through the mouth.

And you'll begin to find as you breathe more,

Your body will become more and more relaxed,

And your mind thoughts will slow down.

And it's okay if your mind wanders off to the busyness of your day.

When that happens,

Just focus on your breathing.

Just bring your thought back to your breath.

There is no right or wrong way to do this.

And as you rest here,

Perhaps you're curious as to what it's going to feel like to go into a deep meditation.

And of course,

I don't know when this will happen for you,

But I do know that very soon you're going to be ready to surprise yourself by taking a mental step back to actually watch your thoughts.

And perhaps you will see those thoughts on the wings of a butterfly,

Going from flower to flower as thoughts do.

Let's continue focusing on some nice deep breaths.

Breathing nice and deep in through the nose,

And holding it for just a couple of moments,

And then slowly exhaling through the mouth.

And as you're breathing and listening to my voice,

You can be concentrating on something and another thought may enter your mind.

And this might remind you of something else.

You see,

We have what is called a butterfly mind,

And it's all over the place.

But as you relax even more deeply,

It will settle down.

Now focus on the butterfly in your mind,

Flying around.

In one moment it might settle on a beautiful fragrant flower,

And then suddenly it will spread its beautiful wings and fly up into the air,

Performing its magical dance in the warm summer sunshine,

Before landing again on a different plant.

And even now,

As you are listening to the sound of my voice,

You might be thinking of something else in the back of your mind.

And as you watch the butterfly coming and going,

You might be surprised to discover the trance that can happen all by itself.

Letting yourself continue watching the beautiful butterfly as you relax the muscles in your feet that are resting there,

Side by side.

And I wonder which foot will relax first.

And you might notice now as you're becoming relaxed that there is a bit of a difference between them.

Perhaps one foot might feel slightly heavier or warmer,

But they might also both feel exactly the same way.

Now,

Keep watching the butterfly in your mind's eye,

Noticing its colors.

Is it a yellow butterfly,

Or is it a rich velvety brown butterfly?

Or it could be red,

Or purple,

Or even a mixture of colors.

Once you have identified the colors of your butterfly,

I wonder if it might remind you of something else that has the same shade or hue of color,

Or maybe a mixture of shades.

Or maybe you will see the colors changing as you watch the butterfly.

You will see the colors changing as they go deeper.

And you notice now how your butterfly has landed again as your legs relax and begin to feel heavy.

And your legs are relaxed and heavy.

And it's comfortable,

And it's feeling so relaxed.

And now you want that feeling to move up into your thighs,

And your hips,

And your stomach.

So,

That relaxing,

Comfortable feeling does spread up,

And you find your thighs and hips and stomach are so relaxed.

As your mind flies wherever it will,

Just like your butterfly.

Did you notice the patterns in your butterfly's wings?

Some parts contouring the edge of its wings,

And then diagonal lines spreading out from the center of its body,

Forming delicate,

Wavy patterns that are filled with even more color.

And as the center of your body is now relaxed,

Your breathing is steady and calm,

And your muscles begin to feel loose and limp.

And even your chest and arms are relaxed and comfortable.

Still and beautifully relaxed.

As your butterfly mind is getting too tired to fly here and there,

It just needs to rest.

And now,

Your arms and hands feel relaxed and comfortable.

Resting here,

Just like the rest of you,

Feeling too heavy to move.

Too heavy and comfortable to even want to move.

So,

Quiet your mind.

And as your mind begins to still,

You notice your facial muscles are also getting relaxed.

Your jaw,

Which is often so tense,

Is now comfortably relaxed.

And the muscles around your mouth and your nose,

And your eyes that are so closed lazily and effortlessly,

Are relaxed.

They don't want to open,

And they don't need to open.

You are where you are.

You know you are safe and comfortable.

You are relaxed.

And it is a nice feeling to experience this heavy calmness and relaxation.

Even the butterfly has gotten tired from flying around,

And decides to hang upside down for a while,

On the underside of a beautiful flower,

Folding in its wings as it does.

And now,

You are resting here,

So calmly,

So peacefully.

And it's so nice to be still,

And not have to think of those butterfly thoughts.

And as you drift lazily,

Effortlessly,

Down onto your own abyss,

Softly cocooned in a warm,

Velvety cloak.

And I'm going to be quiet for a few moments.

And all will be quiet and still.

And in the silence that follows,

I want you to take continue deep breaths.

And do what's right,

That feels right for you at this time.

And each breath will allow you to go deeper and deeper into relaxation.

Deeper and deeper into a trance.

And when you next hear my voice,

You will not be surprised.

You will simply remain in your deep and beautiful trance,

Ready to follow my suggestions,

And to work alongside of me,

Towards your transformation and progress,

In whatever your subconscious mind intuitively knows is best for you.

Good.

And now that you're feeling deeply relaxed,

I'm going to talk to you about some of the positive steps that you can take towards your own beautiful self-care.

And self-care means regularly taking care of yourself,

So you can be healthy and well.

And you can do not only the tasks that you have to do every day,

But the ones that you really want to do.

And as you're aware,

Self-care can mean different things for people.

So your priorities will change as you go through your own life.

You will simply need to check in with yourself now and again,

To find out what your body is asking for.

Self-care might mean staying physically healthy,

Nutrition,

Seeking medical care when needed.

It also means remaining mentally and emotionally healthy,

And managing the stresses in your daily life.

Good sleep and relaxation are also important factors for self-care.

Your body will not function optimally if you are up all night working,

Or burning the candle at both ends.

So,

Get to know what works best for helping you to wind down before bedtime,

In order to get a good night's sleep.

Perhaps it is a bubble bath before bed,

Or learning how to fully relax and let go,

Which I'm going to show you how to do very soon.

Remind yourself that you are worth taking care of.

You are always worth taking care of.

Taking time out of your day to love and do good things for yourself,

Because you know your body better than anyone else.

And as you take a step back,

You realize that rushing around is not healthy,

And that you need to slow things down.

First,

Before we start,

We're going to make sure that you are truly relaxed.

And if you ever feel like life is getting to be too heavy,

You can simply practice these techniques to help you simply calm down.

Now,

Let's take a few slow,

Deep breaths.

And as you're doing that,

I want you to turn your focus to the top of your head.

Your forehead,

Cheeks,

Eyes,

Jaw,

And the back of your head.

What did you notice?

Is there any tension or tightness?

If there is,

Visually imagine your breath going to it.

And when you exhale,

Imagine the tension melting away.

Now,

Move your attention to your neck and your shoulders.

Scanning the area,

And if you notice any tension or tightness,

Visually send your breath to that area.

And when you exhale,

Melting that tension away.

Then shift your focus to your arms,

Your upper arms,

Elbows,

Lower arms,

Hands,

And fingers.

And you notice any tension.

If you do,

Let it slip away with every exhale.

Next,

Your chest,

Stomach,

Upper and lower back.

If there is any tension,

Let it relax as you exhale.

Focus on your hips and buttocks.

If anything feels tight,

Feel it now melting away,

As if you're feeling yourself melting deep into your seat.

Now,

Shift your focus down to your legs,

Knees,

Lower legs,

Ankles,

Feet,

Toes,

And the soles of your feet.

Is there any tension?

Visualize your exhaled breath funneling any tension deep down into the ground.

How does it feel to be present in your body?

Observe.

Are you feeling any more relaxed than before?

Continue taking some deep breaths.

And visualize yourself giving an energetic hug to yourself.

And squeezing yourself deeply through your shoulders.

Pulling you in and loving yourself deeply.

As you continue taking in nice,

Deep breaths.

And now,

I want you to repeat these words in your mind.

You don't need to say them out loud.

Just repeat them after me in your mind.

I am worth taking care of.

Now,

Always,

And forever.

I am doing the best I can.

Life is a marathon,

Not a sprint.

It is okay to slow down.

It is okay to regularly pause and refuel myself.

I accept myself in all my human beauty and messiness.

I will not always get things right the first time.

And that's okay.

Life is a journey.

And we learn and grow from our mistakes.

Now,

I want you to hold hands with yourself.

Connecting that feeling of touching yourself,

Hand to hand.

And repeat to yourself,

I've got this.

I've got this.

I've got this.

If you ever find yourself struggling,

Remind yourself that there are always other people feeling exactly the same.

At exactly the same time.

And you are never alone.

And as you practice this relaxation technique,

You now become in tune with what your body and mind require to function optimally.

And different days may require that you care for yourself in different ways.

And your mind will instinctively know what it is that you need.

And if you feel overwhelmed with all of the things that you need to do,

Start smaller.

Tackling the most challenging thing first.

You're going to choose one practice each week to incorporate into your daily routine.

After all,

Just one positive change is better than none.

Remember,

Rome wasn't built in a day.

And you can add in more practices when you feel ready.

This is your personal journey.

Physical self-care will now be the easiest thing for you to comprehend.

Of all self-care.

You will eat a beautiful diet rich in fruit and vegetables.

You will drink more water.

And you will gently exercise.

And focus on getting enough sleep.

And exercise not only keeps your body physically fit,

It also releases those beautiful endorphins that boost your mood.

And making you feel more energetic throughout the day.

You sleep better at night.

You have clearer memories.

And you feel more relaxed and positive about yourself and your life.

And you now know that regular exercise will have a tremendous positive impact on many of your symptoms.

It helps with depression and anxiety.

And even a little bit of exercise can make a real difference.

And you know that it doesn't matter what your age or fitness level is.

You will learn to use exercise routines as a powerful tool to deal with your mental health.

Improve your energy and your outlook on life.

And allow you to step into your own power and get more out of your life.

And you now know that if you're feeling a little down and feel as though you need to do something to help.

Going for short walks or taking deep breaths is one of the best things that you can do for yourself.

And not only is exercise good for you both physically and mentally,

But there's also benefits to allowing yourself to get outside.

Fresh air will do wonders to clear your brain fog.

And it's amazing for your lungs.

And it can give you inspiration and help you to discover new ways of achieving your goals.

And when you feel the warmth of the sunlight on your skin,

You now know that your body is producing beautiful vitamin D.

And this vitamin is important for healthy tissue regeneration.

That is also great for your cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.

And a whole heap of other amazing health benefits.

The exposure to natural outside light will always boost your mood.

And it will help you to let go of those little worries that always nag at you.

Now,

I'm going to guide you on a little journey.

And I would like you to mentally create the scenes that I describe in as much detail as possible.

I want you to imagine that you are walking through a forest.

And it is a warm,

Sunny day.

And the air smells damp and earthy.

And you can smell the pine trees that dominate the forest.

Breathing in deeply and smelling the life of the forest around you.

Hearing the leaves rustling and about,

Blowing in the wind as it's whistling through and around the trees.

And there is a quiet,

Reassuring sound of water bubbling that seems to be beginning louder as you walk along your path.

And continue walking along your path.

And after a couple of turns,

You are finding yourself standing on the bank of a gently flowing stream.

Good.

As you gaze at the stream and you notice the sunlight sparkling on the ripples of the water,

You're hearing the gurgling sound of water that it makes as it tumbles over the rocks.

And the water looks so cool and inviting.

And it is a beautiful,

Warm day.

And you slip off your shoes and gently step into the warm water.

The water is so comfortable.

And the bed of the stream is covered with smooth rocks lying on a beautiful sandy bottom.

And imagine the sun is warming your back and the experience the water has as it cools your feet off.

And imagine yourself in your mind's eye,

Closing your eyes and enjoying all of the beautiful sensations around you.

And as you open your eyes,

Notice some of the leaves now floating on the water as they flow downstream.

And you turn your watch over to see them drifting downstream until they're out of your vision.

And now I want you to allow your mind to drift towards your thoughts and find one that has recently been troubling you.

I want you to reach down now and pick up one of those leaves before it floats past you in the stream.

And I want you to place that troubling thought on your leaf.

That's good.

Now,

Reach down and place the leaf which holds your troubling thought into the moving water.

Watch as it flows away from you.

Further and further away.

As it floats down the stream and out of sight,

Notice now that you are feeling lighter and brighter.

Now,

Let your mind go back to your thoughts,

Becoming aware of another thought,

Situation or circumstance that might be making you anxious.

It is something that you cannot change or control.

And you know deep down inside that you really shouldn't let it bother you,

But it does.

Again,

Bend down and pick up a floating leaf.

And place the troubling situation on the leaf.

And place it back into the moving stream.

Watching as it floats further and further away.

Now,

Notice the relief that you feel as it disappears.

It is as if a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.

And if you have any more concerns,

You can simply release them into the stream and let them all go.

I'm going to pause for a moment and allow you to do this with any remaining worries or anxieties.

That's good.

And if in the future you ever identify any issues that are causing you unnecessary stress,

Anxiety or worry,

You can now simply close your eyes,

Relax and return to the magical stream to erase all of your concerns.

And as those little worries no longer bother you,

You feel more at peace with yourself.

And this makes you feel so much happier.

Your emotional self-care is very important.

Positive self-talk is something that your subconscious mind will now master effortlessly.

And this will help you raise your spirits.

Most of us have an inner voice that can range from giving ourselves instructions on carrying out tasks that we have to do,

Or random observations about our environment or situation.

This is what we refer to as our own self-talk.

It is a thought,

In mixtures of conscious and unconscious beliefs and opinions,

That we hold about ourselves and the world around us.

And they can be positive or negative,

And it changes the way that you talk to yourself.

And self-talk can have a profound effect on your behavior.

Positive self-talk can help you feel encouraged,

Motivated and optimistic.

And it can help you overcome your self-doubt and boost your performance and protect your mental health and well-being.

And when you discard your negative beliefs and you start talking positively to yourself,

You can reframe the way you look at stressful situations.

Knowing that you have approached challenges to the best of your ability,

Regardless of outcome,

Means that you did all you could do.

Now,

Replacing these opinions with,

I can do this,

Thoughts,

Rather than negative,

This is too hard,

Thoughts,

Will unlock new ways of thinking and problem-solving for you.

Negative self-talk can also lead to a vicious cycle of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you tell yourself that you're not able to do something,

Then you will be less likely to put effort into it.

Then you will most likely fail.

So,

Starting today,

Right now,

I want you to take a moment or two to think about some of the negative things that you commonly tell yourself.

And then you're going to rephrase them into a positive sentence.

For every negative message,

There is a positive truth that will neutralize the negativity.

So,

For example,

Instead of saying,

I am so shy,

I don't know how I'm going to stand up in front of my colleagues to present at my work,

You could say,

How can I practice my skills so that I feel more comfortable standing up,

Talking about the things that I know the most about?

Or,

If your thoughts sound like,

I hate going swimming,

I don't like my body,

And everyone else is thinner than me,

This could become,

What are some things that I can do for myself to make myself feel better and more comfortable in my swimsuit?

Or,

What simple,

Practical steps can I take to be healthy?

And from now on,

As you go through your life,

You will think about what you're going to say in advance.

And if it was going to be negative,

You're now going to overwrite that sentence to be positive.

And you are now going to fill your brain with positivity.

And it will make you feel more optimistic.

And it will make you feel better emotionally and mentally,

Which in turn has a positive impact on your physical health.

So,

You now start to look at simple things that you can do to make you feel like you have big wins.

If you don't normally wash the dishes but leave them until morning,

Imagine how much your future self would thank you if you woke up in the morning to find your kitchen clean.

Or,

Your simple self-care ritual could become making your bed in the morning.

And it could help you start your day in the right way.

And although it only takes a couple of minutes,

It will now give you an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

It doesn't matter what you choose to do,

As long as it promotes health and happiness for you.

Your self-care doesn't have to cost you anything.

It is just doing the things that you enjoy or that bring you joy.

The things that make you feel fulfilled.

For example,

Taking a walk outside,

Or breathing in the sense of nature,

Or listening to beautiful sounds,

Or simply petting a pet.

You will now find yourself doing the things that you've been procrastinating about.

You will simply do them because you know you will feel better when they're done.

And as you do more,

The better you will feel.

It is though immediately right now you have gotten rid of so many weights off of your shoulders.

And you will feel like you are a little bit more than you were before.

You will feel like you have gotten rid of so many weights off of your shoulders.

And you will start to make the most out of your day.

And your life is changing for the better.

And you are now finding purpose within your life.

And you are taking time out to spend with your friends.

Because you know they make you feel happy and relaxed.

And they motivate you.

And they help you grow.

And they boost your feelings of positivity.

And every now and then you will also take mental breaks from your social media.

And you will simply disconnect and breathe.

And you will notice immediate immense benefits.

And you are going to sleep better.

And your stress is going to be lower.

And you are focusing on your mental well-being.

You are now becoming the best version of yourself.

Physically,

Emotionally and mentally.

Just by taking time out for yourself.

You are able to not only maximize your productivity.

But you can now enrich the lives of others around you.

In a moment or two,

We are going to come back to full awakening awareness.

And as you come back to the present,

Bring back with you all the motivation that you need to start taking care of yourself.

From this moment on,

Caring for yourself will be your main priority.

And you realize that there is no time like the present to begin this new lifestyle.

And you know that you are making a conscious decision to take the steps that you need.

Every single day.

And you already know that when you regularly take time to look after yourself,

It will help you put your best foot forward.

And you will find that your calmness is how you will react to things that go on in your life.

You will now have beautiful increased health and wellness and reduced stress.

And an improved immune system.

And you will have more productivity.

And your higher self-esteem will come to the surface.

Because you know that taking time to care for yourself feels so good.

And these suggestions are firmly embedded in your subconscious mind.

And remain and stay with you.

Growing stronger and stronger each and every day that goes by.

They grow stronger by the day.

Stronger by the hour.

Stronger by the minute.

And I will now count the numbers from 1 to 5.

And on the count of 5,

You will be fully alerted to the changes that are happening in your life.

Alert and refreshed.

And ready to commence with your new day.

And your daily self-care program.

Or if you're in bed,

When I count to 5,

You will drift off into a beautiful restful sleep.

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