Hello,
I'm Dr.
Candice Creasman-Mowry and this brief exercise is designed to help you prepare for a difficult situation or encounter.
This could be a meeting you have coming up with your boss or an anxiety-provoking medical appointment.
Regardless of the situation,
The goal today is to help you connect to your best intentions for yourself and others.
We will begin and end with a bell.
Start by finding a comfortable position,
Sitting down or standing,
And take a couple of deep breaths in through your nose and release slowly from your mouth.
Take a moment to look around you,
Moving your eyes down to the right,
Then slowly rolling your gaze up over to the left and down to the left,
Taking in as many images and sights as you can.
Now close your eyes if that feels comfortable or you can keep your eyes open and find a spot to rest your gaze,
Either on the floor or the wall in front of you.
Bring to mind the situation that you want to be prepared for.
Do this in the simplest terms,
So without going into much detail about how it might go or what has led up to it,
Just connect to a few words or images that help you get a sense of the situation.
Hold this gently,
Taking a deep breath in and a slow breath out.
Notice how your body responds to this image or thought.
What sensations do you notice?
You might notice tightness,
Pressure,
Movement or stillness,
Heat or cold.
Hold each sensation gently as you notice it.
Deep breath in,
Slow breath out.
Notice any emotions that arise with this image or thought.
Anxiety,
Fear,
Anger,
Frustration,
Confusion.
Allow each emotion to rise and pass away.
Hold them gently.
Deep breath in,
Slow breath out.
Consider what feels at stake in this situation in simple terms.
If it doesn't go well,
Will you lose something?
Will you feel painful feelings?
Hold this concern gently.
Deep breath in,
Slow breath out.
If you could bring one quality or support to this situation to help you,
Who or what would it be?
A trusted friend?
A sense of peace or confidence?
Bring the image or thought of this support to mind,
Connecting with how it would feel to have the qualities you most need.
Hold them gently.
Deep breath in,
Slow breath out.
Gently place your hand over your heart,
Noticing the warmth,
The sensations of touch.
Aware that this situation is difficult.
Aware of your body,
Mind,
Heart.
Resting in awareness.
Resting.
Whenever you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
