This is a meditation for overwhelm.
Overwhelm is something that we can all relate to.
The tightness in your chest,
The feeling of external pressure,
And sometimes we don't even know where it's coming from,
But we just feel its presence lingering.
In this practice,
I'm going to guide you through a technique that I have personally found to be extremely useful,
Not only to dissolve the overwhelm in the moment,
But to keep it at bay so that I can be in a place of taking action rather than stalling in the physical sensations,
As well as the mental resistance and procrastination.
I hope you find it helpful.
So wherever you are,
Just begin by taking a nice deep breath,
Bringing you into the moment,
Breathing in presence and taking it all in.
And as you exhale,
Just release and let go,
And breathing in again,
Breathing in this present moment,
Allowing it to fill you up as presence enters your entire body.
And if you can,
Just continue with this breath for now,
Bringing presence to where you are in this moment in time,
Because our overwhelm lives in the future.
It's in our to-do lists,
Our schedule,
Our responsibilities,
Things about the future,
Or even past ruminations.
But none of that lives in the present moment,
Which is where we are right here,
Right now.
And then just start to notice your body,
Just doing a scan from the crown of your head down to your shoulders,
Your chest,
Your torso,
Your hips,
Down your legs,
All the way down to your toes.
Just noticing what is present in your body in this moment.
And see if you can identify where this sensation of overwhelm is present in your body.
There might be other sensations and things going on,
But as you tune into this feeling of overwhelm,
Something in your body might illuminate or make itself known.
And once you have found that place,
Just breathe into where you feel these sensations in your body.
Breathing this presence,
You can place a hand on it,
If that feels good.
And as you breathe into this space,
Just acknowledge its presence,
Acknowledge that it's there.
Do you notice it and you see it.
And then just noticing how it feels when you bring this awareness to it,
Whether it changes,
Whether it starts to dissolve a little or a lot,
And telling it that it's okay for it to be here.
It is safe and it is welcome.
Because these sensations and these patterns are really just trying to protect us from something.
It could be many different things,
Depending on your situation.
But the important thing in this is to allow it to be here,
To welcome it in.
Continuing to breathe presence into this feeling,
This part of you in this present moment.
And as you continue to breathe,
Breathing acceptance into this part of you,
And then noticing how it feels when you bring this acceptance to it.
Maybe it softens and just keeps breathing,
Telling it that it's okay to be here,
That it is safe,
That you are safe,
And that in this present moment there is nothing to be afraid of.
And that whatever comes your way,
You've got this.
Just taking a few more deep breaths here,
Staying with this part of you,
Any sensations that might still be here,
Breathing into this part of your body,
Enjoying the last few moments of this connection and this presence before you move on to the rest of your day.
And when you're ready,
Just taking a nice big inhale,
And as you exhale,
Just let it out,
Maybe with a sigh or a sound,
Just letting go of any bits of energy that are still here.
And knowing that this practice is available to you at any time,
Even if it's just a few moments or a few minutes.
These parts of us that come up are wanting to be witnessed and accepted,
And when we can do that,
It often removes the charge and the hold that they have over us.
Thank you for joining me for this meditation.
