This meditation was designed to validate your physical and emotional feelings due to chronic illness.
Let's prepare for this meditation by finding a comfortable spot either sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
Choose a position in which you will find the most comfort as well as an area away from distraction and noise.
Once you have settled in,
Allow your eyes to close,
Or if you'd rather,
You can just lower your eyelids and your gaze.
Allow your arms to hang at your sides or in whichever position feels natural,
Letting your hands rest in whichever position is most comfortable for you.
Let's begin by taking a slow,
Deep breath,
Inhaling through your nose and then exhaling through your mouth.
If exhaling through your mouth is not comfortable,
Go ahead and exhale through your nose.
As you inhale,
Feel your belly rise and your ribs expand as your diaphragm lowers,
Filling your lungs with your breath.
And as you exhale,
Allow your belly and ribs to fall back into place.
Continue inhaling and exhaling,
And feeling the movement of your body as it accommodates your breathing.
Allow your breath to follow its natural rhythm,
To follow its natural movement.
Just notice how you breathe.
Notice the spaces in between each breath.
Simply notice.
As you find yourself with thoughts of the day,
I'd like for you to acknowledge them.
It is normal for your mind to think about things while you are breathing.
Once you acknowledge these thoughts,
Encourage them to roll along,
To gently float away like clouds in the summer sky,
And return your focus back to your breath.
There is no limit to how many times you can redirect your thoughts.
Just continue breathing and refocusing.
Focusing on your breath is how you are giving your mind a chance to relax,
Giving it a chance to have less thoughts and less concerns.
It will become easier and easier to return your focus to your breath with each time this is done.
Thoughts will continue to float in and out of your mind,
And you will return to your breath each time,
And eventually it will feel effortless.
As you continue breathing,
I'd like for you to set your intention on allowing your body,
Your mind,
And your soul to simply rest.
As you sit or lie in this comfortable spot,
In this comfortable position,
You are simply noticing your breath entering and exiting your body.
This is simply you sitting with you.
This is you resting.
You are taking time right now to honor you.
Living with chronic illness is something you experience every day.
Although you may share your diagnosis with others,
Your experience is unique to you.
It's possible that you might share experiences with others who have similar diagnoses.
It's possible you might have different experiences than others who have similar diagnoses.
It's possible you might fluctuate between sharing and not sharing symptoms with others.
This is because your experience is yours,
Not anyone else's.
There might be people in your life who think they understand what it is you're feeling,
Or what it is you're capable of,
Or what it is that you should be doing,
Regardless of what it is that you actually are feeling,
Or capable of,
Or what the correct treatment,
If any,
Might be.
This could be friends,
Family,
Co-workers,
Or medical professionals.
There might be people in your life who minimize your symptoms.
There might be members of the medical profession who don't know how to treat your illness,
Or minimize your symptoms,
Or fail to properly diagnose you.
There might be medical professionals who treat you incorrectly,
Or you might be treated correctly,
But still feel your illness.
You may have been told there is nothing wrong with you after test results come back negative.
There might be people in your life who don't believe you.
This may be intentional or unintentional.
Some people simply lack the knowledge required to understand and honor your experiences.
Some people might lack the interpersonal skills to actively listen to you.
Some people might have their own chronic illness,
Which affects their ability to care for other people's illnesses.
Chronic illness can often be invisible to those who don't share your experiences.
Empathy,
Sympathy,
And compassion are not traits shared by all members of society.
Many people have a long way to go in regards to obtaining these abilities.
You might choose to try to help society to change the way they approach people with chronic illness.
You might choose not to try to help society to change the way they approach people with chronic illness.
You may alter between the two,
Depending on how you feel,
Both physically and emotionally.
There is no right or wrong way for you to respond to society's limitations.
It is normal for us to seek and expect validation from others,
Particularly from our family,
Our friends,
And our medical providers.
It is very common to feel shame or disappointment or frustration when this validation is not received.
When this happens,
It is a reflection of those who simply have not been taught or shown how to validate others or feel empathy,
Sympathy,
Or compassion.
They are not aware of their limitations.
They are not aware of the effects their limitations have on others.
They are simply not aware.
You are aware.
You are capable of empathy,
Of sympathy,
And of compassion.
You deserve to be seen without having to earn it.
Think about how it would feel to be seen,
Heard,
And simply understood.
Imagine what it would feel like to have someone simply hold space for you,
To hold space for your emotions,
To hold space for your physical feelings.
I'd like for you to visualize yourself looking in a mirror.
Notice your face.
Look into your eyes.
You are looking at a lovable,
Worthy,
Good person.
Who you are is independent of your illness.
Who you are is independent of how others view you.
You are just as much a part of the universe as the universe is a part of you.
Keep looking at yourself.
See your abilities.
See your strength.
See your intelligence.
See your joy,
Your dreams,
And your ambitions.
See your talents.
See your knowledge.
See all of what you are.
These attributes are yours.
No one can take them away from you.
No one can make you smaller.
No illness can affect your worth.
You own these parts of you.
Embrace them.
Love them.
You deserve to be acknowledged.
You deserve to be heard.
You deserve to be believed.
You deserve to be loved.
Keep looking at yourself.
Right now,
You are being seen.
You are being heard,
Acknowledged,
And believed.
This is you seeing,
Hearing,
Believing,
And honoring you.
You are validating you.
Feel this.
Feel yourself satisfying your own needs.
You are holding space for you.
By validating yourself,
You are taking your power back.
No longer will you feel less than simply because others do not have the capability to validate you.
You do not need their validation any longer.
You are worthy simply because you are you.
Feel this empowerment.
As you become comfortable with showing yourself the same love,
Compassion,
And validation that you show others,
You will become more comfortable standing up for yourself when these needs are not satisfied.
As you become more comfortable with standing up for yourself,
You will become more comfortable walking away from those who choose to honor you in a way that is less than you deserve.
You will become more comfortable setting boundaries regarding who you choose to spend your time with or seek medical attention from.
You have the right to seek medical care from other practitioners.
You have the right to disagree with medical professionals.
This is your right.
You will realize that not everyone has earned the right to hear your story.
You are no longer placing your worth or your happiness or the validity of your health in the hands of others.
You are in control.
By validating yourself,
Your needs,
And your health,
You are setting the example for others on how you deserve to be treated.
You will no longer make yourself smaller to accommodate other people's inability to understand.
As you show the world your worth,
The right people will be drawn to you.
People who won't judge,
Minimize,
Or invalidate.
You will be believed and validated without having to seek it or chase it or yearn for it.
It will already be there from you.
You will enjoy those who are drawn to you without having to fear shame or abandonment or rejection.
You will know you are worth the effort of finding appropriate treatment for your illness without feeling shame or embarrassment or rejection.
This is because you will no longer allow others to determine how you feel.
You set the example.
You will simply enjoy being you,
Authentically you,
Just as you are.
Let's take another slow,
Deep breath.
Notice how easy it is for you to follow your breath now.
Notice how easily your breath replaces the thoughts and feelings which weigh you down.
You will now notice how easily your own validation replaces the need for validation from others.
This is now your superpower.
You are taking care of yourself simply by focusing on your breath and by gifting yourself with the love and understanding you deserve.
Taking your power back from those who are not capable of understanding or validating you is your superpower.
You don't need external validation any longer.
You are taking care of yourself.
There is no limit to the amount of time you can spend taking care of yourself.
Taking care of yourself is healthy.
It is necessary.
You deserve this self-care.
You are a survivor.
You are strong.
You have the power to accomplish great things.
Remember this.
Let's prepare to return to your day by bringing gentle movement to your hands and fingers if it is comfortable for you.
And if it's comfortable,
Bring gentle movement to your feet and your toes,
Moving them in circles and up and down.
You may choose to bring movement to other areas of your body instead.
You can scrunch your face and then release it.
You can shrug your shoulders,
Then relax.
You can open your mouth wide,
Then close it.
Whatever it is that brings you back to the present,
Back to your chosen spot,
Back to you.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes,
Knowing that you are now prepared to experience the rest of your day.
Remember that you have the power to return to your breath at any time during the day.
And you can feel confident in yourself as your ability to validate your symptoms and your feelings is now your superpower.
Namaste.
Good Morning.
You
