Hi and welcome to this Emotional Overwhelm Rescue Meditation.
A gentle sanctuary for those moments when you're feeling flooded,
Scattered or caught in the grip of overwhelming emotions and you need a compassionate way to find your center again.
I'm Hayley Trower and I've created this practice for those moments when emotions feel too intense,
When you're caught in overwhelm and when you need a compassionate way to move through what you're feeling without shutting down.
This isn't about forcing calm or pushing away what's true.
It's about creating some space around your experience so you can be with what's arising without being consumed by it.
So wherever you are right now allow yourself to find a position that feels supportive.
This might be sitting,
Lying down or even standing if that's what you need in this moment.
Let's begin by simply noticing where you are right now.
The weight of your body against whatever's supporting you.
The temperature of the air on your skin.
Any sounds around you.
Your breath.
Take a breath that's a little deeper than usual.
Drawing air down into your belly.
And as you exhale allow your shoulders to soften away from your ears.
If your mind is racing that's completely normal.
Just notice that happening without getting caught in judging yourself.
Your body is responding exactly as it knows how.
And in this practice we're giving it a different pathway.
Now bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.
Feel where they make contact with the floor or your shoes or whatever surface they're touching.
Notice any sensations there.
Perhaps warmth,
Pressure,
Tingling or nothing at all.
Then move your attention to your hands.
Where are they resting?
Can you feel the texture beneath your fingertips?
The temperature of your palms?
And now bring your awareness to the center of your chest.
This area that holds so much.
Your breath.
Your heartbeat.
And often your emotions.
Just notice what's happening here.
Without needing to change anything.
As we continue I invite you to acknowledge whatever emotional state brought you to this practice today.
You don't need to name it or understand it.
Just notice where in your body you feel it most strongly.
Is there tension in your shoulders?
Or a heaviness in your chest?
A knot in your stomach?
Or a tightness in the throat?
Or perhaps it feels more like energy.
Buzzing,
Vibrating or pulsing somewhere in the body.
Wherever you feel it most intensely,
Bring your awareness there.
Not to fix or change it,
But simply to acknowledge.
This is how it is right now.
This is what's true.
And as you notice this sensation,
See if you can make a little bit of space around it.
Imagine that you're creating a cushion of air.
A buffer zone between you and the intensity of the feeling.
And breathe into this space.
With each inhale,
Imagine the space growing just a little bit bigger.
And with each exhale,
Softening around what you're feeling.
This isn't about pushing the feeling away.
But it's about relating to it differently.
With curiosity rather than judgment.
And with presence rather than resistance.
Now let's use the breath more deliberately as a resource.
When emotions overwhelm us,
The breath often becomes shallow.
Or rapid.
Or we may even hold it without realizing.
So bring your awareness to your breathing pattern right now.
No need to judge or change it.
Just notice.
Is it fast or slow?
Deep or shallow?
Smooth or catching?
Then gently begin to lengthen your exhale.
Not forcing,
Just inviting the breath to release a little more fully.
The exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system.
Your body's built-in calming mechanism.
Let's try a few breaths where the exhale is just slightly longer than the inhale.
Perhaps breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of six.
And find your own rhythm that feels supportive rather than strained.
With each exhale,
Imagine releasing some of the charge of that emotion.
Not the emotion itself,
Which is valid and has important information for you.
But some of the intensity that makes it hard to be with.
Between each breath,
Notice the small pause.
That moment of stillness before the next breath begins.
There is always this pause.
This moment of natural rest.
Even in the midst of difficulty.
As we continue,
I invite you to place one hand wherever you feel the emotion most strongly in your body.
Perhaps it's your heart,
Your belly or your throat.
And with this hand,
Offer yourself the same kind of contact you might offer someone you care about who's struggling.
Not to fix or change what they're feeling,
But simply to acknowledge,
I see you.
I'm here with you.
With your hand in this position,
Silently say to yourself,
This is a moment of difficulty.
This feeling is part of being human.
I'm not alone in this experience.
Now with your next few breaths,
Imagine that you're breathing directly into the space beneath your hand.
With each inhale,
Bringing awareness and oxygen to this place.
With each exhale,
Creating just a bit more space around what you're feeling.
Notice that you are larger than this feeling.
It's moving through you,
But it isn't all of you.
There's the emotion and there's the awareness that notices the emotion.
You are this awareness,
Spacious enough to hold whatever arises.
As we begin to draw this practice to a close,
Take a moment to notice how your body feels now.
There may be subtle shifts or things that might feel very much the same.
Both are completely normal.
What matters is that you've created a different relationship with this moment.
You've turned towards your experience with courage rather than turning away in fear.
Take one more full,
Deep breath.
Fill your lungs completely and then let the exhale be soft and complete.
And as you continue with your day,
Remember that you can return to this practice any time,
Whether for a few minutes or just a few breaths.
This pathway is always available to you.
You don't need to be different than you are.
Your sensitivity isn't a weakness to overcome.
It's an intelligence to honor.
And in that honoring,
You find your strength.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
May you continue to meet yourself with the same compassion that you so readily offer others.
