Hello,
This is Helena Gagnon and today I will be focusing on a guided meditation to create healthy boundaries.
We need healthy boundaries to protect our time and energy,
But also to keep us from building resentments.
When we deplete ourselves trying to be there for others,
We often experience frustrations that begin to build.
It's important to figure out why it's difficult to say no,
Whether we're afraid of feeling rejected or afraid of letting someone down.
We do though let ourselves down and we become depleted.
We need to remind ourselves that we do not have control of others,
But we have control of how we respond to others.
You Let's begin by taking a deep breath.
Filling our bodies down towards our diaphragm with oxygen.
Let's hold this for a moment.
And then let's breathe out.
You Again,
Let's breathe in filling up our body.
Old.
And then let's breathe out.
Pay attention to how you are sitting or lying down.
Let's make sure we're in a comfortable position so that we can stay focused on this meditation.
Pay attention to how your neck and back feel against the back of the chair or on the floor.
Pay attention to whether or not your spine is nice and straight.
Let's place our arms by our side with our palms facing up.
Let's also make sure our legs and feet are stretched out and relaxed.
Now close your eyes and think about the last time you were asked to do something that you really didn't want to do.
It could have been something simple or maybe a large overwhelming project at work.
Remind yourself of that tug of war you were feeling in your mind.
Notice the thoughts you were having.
Did it become an argument in your mind that wouldn't go away all day?
You Were you afraid you might let someone down or hurt someone's feelings by saying no?
It's important to ask yourself why it's hard to say no.
Now let's pay attention to how our bodies reacted to something we really didn't want to do.
Did you feel your fist tighten up?
Did you feel like you wanted to roll your head or roll your eyes over the idea of spending time and energy doing something you really didn't want to do?
Did you feel it in your stomach?
Did you feel your stomach turn already regretting yourself about to say yes?
Did you feel the pain in your back?
Those little muscles in the back of your neck tightening up as you think about having to do a task and put off all the things that you need to get done for yourself.
Sometimes when we try to be helpful,
We no longer are being fair to ourselves.
Sometimes when we do too much for others,
We actually are letting ourselves down.
Understanding where that boundary lies is incredibly important.
Now let's take a deep breath in.
Imagine your body filling up with air and tapping into those areas of stress and uncomfortability from being asked to do more in our lives.
Imagine that air sweeping in and taking out all of that tension.
Now let's breathe out that stress.
Again,
Let's breathe in and let the air connect to all the tension in our body.
Let it surround that tension.
Again,
As we breathe out,
Let that air wash it away.
Another deep breath in again.
Again we must clear out all the tension in our body.
Remember,
It does not serve us in any way at all.
Now let's breathe out.
I would like you to sit in silence and do this two more times.
Now that we have let go of the tension and stress that we have been holding on to has been released from our bodies.
We can now recognize when we are asked to do something that we do not have the time and energy to do.
It's important to remember how your body feels and the thoughts that you experience.
You will remember that being good to others does not mean we need to exhaust ourselves.
We will remember that by saying yes to something we really don't want to do,
That this builds resentment and puts a strain on our relationships.
Thank you for joining this meditation today and I hope you continue with your self-care journey.
Have a wonderful day.
