Relax into a comfortable position,
Perhaps seated or maybe lying down,
With your arms at your sides.
Settle in,
Get comfortable.
Gently close your eyes and bring attention to your breath,
Perhaps placing your hands comfortably on your belly and feeling it rise and fall with your breath.
As parents,
We may have thoughts about our children that make us feel worried or fearful or anxious.
It is only natural that a parent wants to protect their children.
Whatever thoughts or feelings you may be experiencing in this moment,
Allow them.
Notice what you are feeling in your body,
Any places you might be holding tension,
Discomfort,
Or perhaps pain.
Inhale deeply through your nose,
Feeling the breath travel through your nostrils,
Down the back of your throat,
And into your lungs.
As you exhale through your open mouth,
Feel yourself release the tension.
Relax your muscles and come back to your breath.
Simply breathe.
Your family is safe.
You are safe,
Right here,
Right now.
You and your family are safe.
Simply breathe.
You may notice thoughts come into your mind,
And that's normal.
Our brains are made to think,
And we are made to feel.
We don't need to suppress our thoughts or the feelings they bring up,
And we also don't need to feed them.
Simply notice the thought,
Observe your reaction to the thought,
And allow it to move on.
What is it you are feeling in this moment?
Allow yourself to notice the feeling.
Saying to yourself,
Or perhaps out loud,
I notice something in me that is sad,
Or worried,
Or whatever the feeling may be.
You may be feeling this way in this moment,
And that is natural.
Simply allow yourself to feel.
It doesn't mean you enjoy the feeling.
You are merely observing it in this moment,
Knowing that feelings come and go.
Like waves,
We can allow them to come and then to go.
Now,
With gentle breaths,
See if you can soften your reaction to the thought,
The feeling it brings up.
Sit with yourself with kindness,
The way you would for your child when they are in distress.
Perhaps place your hand on your heart,
Or elsewhere where you are physically feeling the difficult emotion.
Let your hand serve as a gentle reminder to soften that spot,
And sit in this moment with compassion for yourself,
Knowing that anyone would have difficulty with this experience.
To help release the emotions,
We will tap several times on nine spots across the body that correspond to the meridians in acupuncture.
Bringing your hands up to the top of your head,
Use several fingers on each hand,
And gently tap your crown five or so times.
Moving both hands by your eyebrows,
Tap on the inside points where each eyebrow begins.
Now move your hands to your temples,
And using two fingers,
Gently tap your temples with both hands several times.
Moving to the bone just below your eyes,
Gently tap several times below each eye.
Next,
Move your hands to the space between your nose and upper lip,
And using two fingers,
Gently tap.
Moving down to below your mouth,
Gently tap.
Moving to just beneath your collarbone,
With both hands about an inch from the center of your collarbone on either side,
Gently tap several times.
Now move your hands down to your side body,
And tap several times about four inches below your armpits.
Finally,
Tap the outer edge of each palm several times,
Using your full hand in a karate chop motion,
And switch hands and exhale.
As you stop tapping,
Gently put your hands back down to your sides and simply breathe.
Simply breathe.
Imagine someone you love,
Perhaps your child,
Embracing you.
Feel their warmth around you.
See a golden protective light wrap around you both.
You may repeat to yourself,
Or perhaps out loud,
May we be safe and protected from harm.
May we be healthy.
May we be at ease.
May all beings know peace.
Today,
As you move through your day,
When a heavy thought comes up,
Remember to stop,
Take a breath,
Observe what you feel in your body,
And then proceed.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Bringing awareness back into the present moment and in the space you are in.
Gently blink your eyes open,
And when you are ready,
Continue with your day.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your day,
And for taking care of yourself so that you can take care of your family.
