This is a somatic meditation for anyone who feels things a little too deeply.
Especially if you're an empathetic introvert who ends the day caring more than you own.
Get comfortable however that looks for you right now.
Sit back,
Lie down,
Stay just as you are.
Let whatever is underneath you hold your full weight.
I'm really glad you're here.
If you're ending your day feeling heavy or crowded or just kind of physically worn out,
Even though nothing went wrong today,
Take a deep breath.
And let yourself stop.
Just for these next few minutes.
You don't have to do anything else.
I want to tell you something a little personal.
For a long time.
I thought something was wrong with me.
I remember being about seven years old.
Watching a news story about a child who had been hurt.
I broke down crying,
Completely overwhelmed,
And I didn't even understand why.
I didn't even know this person.
But somehow I felt like it was happening to me.
And honestly,
I lived like that for years.
A crowded room could drain me for days.
Heavy news or even just tension in the air at work would leave me feeling bruised.
Somehow,
Like I've been through something physical.
I'd end so many days exhausted and not know why.
It wasn't until I came across the idea of the empathetic introvert that it all made sense.
Nothing was wrong with me.
That's just how my nervous system is wired.
Built to fill deeply.
To notice everything in the room.
And to take it all in.
If that sounds like you too,
I want you to hear this.
There's nothing wrong with you either.
You're not weak.
You're not bad at handling stress.
You just weren't built to be a sponge for everyone else's world.
And you don't have to carry it home with you.
So that's what we're doing today.
A short somatic practice to help you set some of that down.
Before we get into anything about boundaries,
Let's just give your body a quiet way to slow down first.
We'll use a gentle 4 or 6 breaths.
A soft inhale through the nose for four.
And a longer exhale for six.
Almost like you're blowing gently through a straw.
And if counting ever feels like one more thing to manage,
Drop the numbers.
Just aim to make your exhale a little bit longer than your inhale and that's enough.
Let's try it together.
Inhale softly through your nose for four.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
And a slow gentle exhale through your mouth for six,
Two,
3… 4… 5… 6… Inhale through your nose for four,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And a soft,
Long sigh out for 6,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
That longer exhale is doing something real.
It's a direct signal to your body that it's safe to slow down.
It's telling your nervous system gently that the day's demands are done for now.
Let's do a few more at whatever pace feels natural to you.
Inhale for four.
Exhale and let your jaw unclench for six.
Inhale for four.
Exhale and let your shoulders drop for six.
Inhale for 4 and exhale fully and let your belly go soft.
Now I want to share something I turn to whenever I feel like my edges have gotten a little too soft.
Like the outside world has started to bleed into me.
We'll move into a steady box breath.
N for five.
Hold gently for five.
Out for five and a quiet pause at the bottom for five.
There's something about that even structured rhythm that gives your body a sense of its own shape again.
A reminder of where you end.
And everything else begins.
If it feels good,
Rest your hand over your chest and the other over your stomach.
Just notice the warmth of your palms.
Let's trace it together.
Inhale through your nose.
One.
2 3 4 5 hold gently 1 2 3 4 5 exhale through your mouth 1.
.
.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
5 and rest quietly at the bottom 1.
.
.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
5 Inhale for five.
Hold for five.
Exhale for five.
And rest for five.
Notice your hands,
Right where they meet your chest and your stomach.
That little bit of contact is enough to remind your body,
This is where I begin and this is where the world outside of me ends.
Let's take two more rounds on your own,
At your own pace.
Whenever you're ready,
Let go of the counting altogether.
Just let your breath find its own easy rhythm again.
I want you to bring to mind someone or something from today that you might still be carrying.
Maybe it's a coworker's bad mood.
A crowded store.
Heavy news you scrolled past.
Something that isn't even really yours.
We tend to pick things like that up out of habit or out of caring too much,
But holding onto them doesn't help anyone.
It just wears you down.
With your hands still resting on your body.
Feel whatever is underneath you.
Holding you up.
Feel the air on your skin,
Your hands,
Your face.
Now,
Picture all of that,
The tension you didn't ask for.
The conversation you keep replaying.
The mood you soaked up without meaning to.
Just sliding off your shoulders.
Down through your spine and to the ground beneath you.
Quietly in your own mind,
Try saying,
I can care about people without caring their weight.
I give myself permission to put down what isn't mine.
Take one more soft inhale through your nose.
And let it go with an easy sigh.
Now let go of it all.
Even the effort of breathing on purpose.
Just let your breath be natural.
Bring your attention up to your face for a moment.
So many of us who feel things deeply spend our day wearing kind of a social face,
A warm smile.
Engage the eyes.
That I'm approachable look.
We hold without even noticing.
You can let that go now.
Let your brow go completely smooth.
And clinch your jaw.
Let your teeth come apart.
And let your tongue rest heavy at the bottom of your mouth.
Let your whole face go quiet.
Blank neutral at ease.
Let your shoulders drop just an inch further from your ears.
Let your collarbones widen.
You don't have to protect anyone right now.
You don't have to hold up the room.
Just notice your chest.
Your belly rising and falling under your hands.
You're safe here.
And little by little.
Your energy is coming back to you.
Notice what it feels like to stop managing everything around you.
Even just for a moment and come back to yourself.
Your sensitivity is a gift and your rest is sacred too.
You're allowed to protect your peace.
Whenever you're ready,
Bring a little movement back into your fingers and your toes.
Take a soft stretch if your body's asking for one.
One more full breath in.
And let it out with a quiet sigh.
Open your eyes whenever you feel ready.
Thank you for spending this time with me today.
Come back to this practice anytime you need to put the weight of the world down and come home to yourself.
Take care.
