When Nothing Else Works: For Stress, Pressure & Overwhelm

For chaotic & tough days, when you can find no release for all the pressure. When you've tried multiple things but nothing is helping, deep meditation or silent focus is not possible, positivity seems too preachy and self-compassion too far-fetched. This meditation gives you a 4-step no-nonsense and practical way to address stress and pressure: radical acceptance, non-judgement, finding relief and meeting basic needs. Instead of soothing and calming, the tone is intentionally kept casual, friendly and slightly fast-paced to match an overwhelmed mind. Rain & thunder sounds are added in the background. Use in the middle of the day or multiple times a week, as per your need.

Transcript

Life is tough, There is so much going on and it is overwhelming, There is so much stress and you feel like there is no way out, You can't take a break, You are doing your best and there is just this stress and pressure and overwhelm and burdens and you have tried everything and nothing else is working, So look you don't even have to close your eyes for this one, You can keep your eyes open, Stay alert, Do what suits you, We are not here to perform, We are not here to fix, We are not here to go into a very deep meditative state, We are just here, And to be honest we cannot solve life in 10 odd minutes, So let's just begin with that, Let's acknowledge that life is tough, You don't know what to do or you are just doing whatever you can, You are getting through the day, Week, Month, Maybe emotionally it's a lot, So in your own words just take a few seconds and say it to yourself or say it out loud, Life is tough, Life is difficult, I am overwhelmed, Whatever it is, Say it out loud. Now we cannot take away the source of the stress right, We cannot remove the people or the tasks or the work or the relationships and responsibilities, We cannot remove whatever is causing this pressure, We cannot take away the pain, But maybe, Maybe we can reduce the suffering just a little bit, Maybe we can remove any extra load that we are putting on ourselves, Others might judge us, Others might drain us, They might expect things from us, They might blame us, It's not in our control, But whatever is in our control, Whatever we are doing to ourselves, That is in our control, Any labels, Any should, Could, Must, All those expectations of outcomes and rigid identities, Let's work on that okay, Take a few seconds and just acknowledge all the pressure that you are putting on yourself, So say it to yourself or say it out loud, I should be able to handle this, I should be working right now, I should be taking a break, I should be focusing on my health, I should be sleeping better, Should, Should, Should, Or maybe I'm lazy, I'm anxious, I always mess things up, Why didn't I do this last week, Why do I always wait for the last minute, All of this, All of this pressure that you're putting on yourself, Take a few seconds and just acknowledge this, You don't need all this today, You already have enough, You don't need to put extra pressure on yourself, Let the others do what they're doing, The environment, The situation, But remove this judgment that you are putting on yourself, Now just check in with your body, Because there's a lot going on, Of course your body will brace, You might not be able to fully relax, That's totally okay, We are just checking in, We are not fixing this, We are not shaming ourselves, Just checking in, Seeing how our body is doing, Is there any area that is tight, Heavy or tense, Now remember we are not fixing this, We are not shaming ourselves, We are not trying to be perfect at this, Reduce the tension in any one part of your body by just 1%, So if you have clenched your jaw very tightly, Just reduce it by 1%, The tension comes down from 100% to 99% it's okay, If your shoulders are tight, Just reduce this by 1% of it, Just a teeny tiny fraction and that's it, That's good enough, And finally just think about the rest of your day, You'll go back after this, You'll have to face the work, The pressure, The stress and what is the one thing that will help you get through the day, Maybe you need a sip of water, A quick snack or a treat, Maybe putting on some music will help, Maybe noise cancelling headphones, Just opening the window to let in the breeze, Look around yourself, Find one way you can support yourself as you go back and brace for impact, All right, Thank you for being here and thank yourself for doing this for yourself.