ACT For Worry Meditation

Are you caught in worry? Bogged down by anxiety? In this visualization, Diana will show you how to approach your worry differently. Instead of getting caught in a worried thought, she will help you turn toward the anxiety in your body and find the values that accompany it. This exercise cultivates the acceptance, being present, and values core processes of ACT. ACT is a modern approach to psychological flourishing that helps you navigate life's challenges more flexibly and act on what matters most.

Transcript

This is a meditation for worry.

And what I'd like for you to do is to find yourself in a comfortable position.

You can be sitting down or lying down.

You can be lying down with your legs up the wall or lying in bed.

Wherever you are,

We're going to be working with your worry.

So first,

Just go ahead and close your eyes.

And begin by slowing down your breath.

So that your breath is settling into a long,

Slow,

Soothing rhythm.

And even as your breath settles into a long,

Slow,

Soothing rhythm,

You may notice that there is sort of this background noise of worry.

And that background noise of worry has some qualities to it.

It has some thoughts that are associated with your worry.

It has some feelings,

Emotions,

Or sensations in your body associated with that worry.

And we're going to begin by activating your worry,

Almost turning up the volume of it.

So that we can work with it a little bit differently than how you usually do it.

Because the only way out of worry is to do something different than worrying.

So begin by bringing to mind something that you feel worried about.

And as you bring it to mind,

There may be some imagery or thoughts,

A storyline.

You could almost watch it play out sort of this future what if.

What if.

Turning up the volume of your worry so that it becomes alive and real.

And the way that it becomes alive and real in your life when it gets bad.

And when you start to notice that that worry is getting uncomfortable,

It feels so familiar,

This discomfort.

I'd like for you to turn your awareness from the imagery and the thoughts and the story towards your body.

Notice what's activated inside your body.

Where does this worry reside?

Where is it most intense?

What do you notice about the sensations inside your body?

Where is it constricted?

Where is the pinpoint of pain?

And when you get a sense of where this worry is and how it's moving,

Its weight,

Its shape inside of you,

I'd like for you to turn towards it with your mind.

Sort of like a caring parent could turn towards a child that's hurting.

Turn towards your worry with your mind and breathe.

Take some space for it to be here.

Notice that there's parts of your body where there's no worry at all,

Completely absent,

Devoid of worry.

And there's parts of you that are so overcome by it.

So just make more space for the part that feels intense and breathe.

As if with each and every breath,

You're breathing space in and around this worry spot.

Those long,

Slow breaths create space and room for worry in your body.

And if your mind gets caught again up into the story or is distracted to something else as minds often do,

Just sort of take its hand and bring it back to this sensation within your body,

Which may be changing because everything changes.

And if it's changed,

Just notice what's there now.

So the first step is turning to the body and turning to worry and the sensations in your body.

And then the second step is to ask a question of it.

Like if you could ask a question of this worry,

A question that is,

What is it that you care so much about that it's causing this much pain?

You don't need a verbal answer.

You don't need the right answer,

But just ask that of your body.

What is it?

What is it that you care so much about?

Feel that care in your body now.

Where's that care?

So you have a place in your body where this worry resides and maybe it's the same spot or maybe it's a different spot.

A feeling of caring.

Breathe in and around that feeling of caring and make space for it too.

What is the feeling of caring in your body like?

What is its shape or weight or movement?

What is its size?

Making contact with caring in your body.

So you have spaces of worry and you have spaces of caring and you have spaces that are completely neither.

Don't care and don't worry at all within your body.

And I'm going to ask you one last question for you to ask yourself.

One last question.

What does that caring part of me?

What does that caring part of me need for me to do today?

So that I can tend to this worry and I can tend to this care.

And you may not have an answer right away.

You can leave it open.

But that's your path.

So that when you notice the worry thoughts show up and they get loud and the stories get convincing and the images feel real.

You learn to turn towards the feelings in your body first.

Unhook from the thoughts and hook into the body.

Breathe and make space.

And you learn that the pain in your body is connected to something that you care about.

So you turn towards that care.

And you feel agency in being able to act from a place of care.

That your agency is not from the worry thoughts.

Your agency is acting from your care.

Taking in your deepest breath.

Bringing your body and your mind back into this moment in time by paying attention to just what it feels like to sit here.

Paying attention to where you make contact with the ground.

Noticing there's an inside world that you've been exploring and there's an outside world too.

That you're going to be joining.

So listening to sounds.

Feeling temperature on your skin.

And when you're ready,

Gently bringing your eyes back into the room with a new commitment to act on what you care about today.

Reviews

Amazing timing - and lovely session. We will have this one on repeat for a bit……

Great meditation for tough times that compliant with ACT therapeutic goals. Thank you!

Simple and empowering, Loving ACT & RAIN. Thank you.

I love how straightforward & beneficial this was. No crystal healer voice or tinkly music. Just an easy directed way to get out of my head, into my body, to get to the worry, really give it space & then realising that I'm worrying because I care & what I can do with that. Very practical. My mind has stopped chattering & I'm thinking about solutions.

So helpful, finding the place that the worry lives in my body, breathing into that and then feeling the caring that is behind that 🙏🏻💖

Thank you. I expected this to be more like CBT but it feels closer to IFS… very alive and real inside me. I am healing from a debilitating chronic illness and am constantly worrying that what I believe, which is that I can heal, is “wishful thinking “ and I am being stupid…that I will be disappointed and maybe even crushed if I allow myself to move forward. The caring part of me was right there though. This loving part comforted the worry and I felt my Self hold space for the Truth, the deep inner knowing that I am healing and healing is possible, that healing is already happening. I just have to douse the worry part with care and appreciate them both for carrying me this far. So much more to say but I will end here for now. All my gratitude… Amy

Thank you for this guidance and care to be with the fear and offer it compassion and space. 🙏🏼❤️

I'm currently working on ACT with my therapist and this was an amazing guided meditation. Her words put no pressure on you to find any solutions or to quiet thoughts that led you to mediation in the first place. She helps you feel those thoughts and ask yourself why you car so much about this thing you are worried about. And then she encourages you to act on your cares rather than your worries. I feel like I can proceed with my current worries by staying more true to myself instead of fighting my instincts to be open and honest while still keeping in mind why I care about this thing. I will be coming back to this one.

Amazing. Thank you. Felt things starting to shift inside.

Very interesting approach to worry

A useful meditation to calm your nerves and worries.

Simple answer to worry

I needed this so much today. Thank you!

I was a bit skeptical at first but I’m so glad and beyond grateful that I kept listening because it was exactly what I needed to hear today—this was my first ACT meditation and I’m very excited to hear/learn more. Thank you 🙏

Very helpful and grounding! I really like your voice Diana, thank you for this track :)

Great way to get analyze my thoughts/worry and then release.

This is a very sophisticated way of respectfully bringing healing to worry. I also enjoyed the excellent switching of anchors welcoming and leaning into worry instead of being choked by it. Thank you for not having background music. I appreciate your skills which are a gift. Great job and well done!

I love ACT. Thank you