Does this sound familiar?
It's time to go to bed.
You've had a very long day.
And you feel exhausted.
Completely worn out.
And yet your mind just won't stop.
You feel stuck in a mental loop.
Obsessively focusing on negative thoughts.
Maybe you are beating yourself up over a mistake you made.
Thinking about what you could have done differently.
What you should have said or done.
Or what you would do different if given the chance.
Or you get stuck in reliving an upsetting event.
Remembering words that cut you to your core.
Ruminating on negative thoughts without end.
I am here to help.
We can stop the spiral together.
Tonight I will share three simple steps to stop the spiral.
And then we are going to practice them together.
So please take a moment to come fully present with me.
Noticing the space around you without judgment.
And then invite all of the outside world to fade away.
For just a few moments.
Let's become really curious about what is happening below the surface.
Begin to sense your body.
As if you are collecting data.
What sensations are you experiencing right now?
Scan your body from the top of your head.
All the way down to your feet.
We are noticing without labeling anything as good or bad.
What do you feel right now?
Do you discover tightness or tension within?
If so,
Where do you feel it?
Do the sensations within have a temperature or a color?
Please just map out the sensations you are feeling right now.
So that we have a starting point to work from.
Next,
Bring your attention to your breath.
Becoming curious.
What is the quality of your breath right now?
No need to shift or fix.
Simple awareness.
Explore for a moment.
Are you breathing in and out of your nose or mouth?
No right answer,
Simply observe.
And then notice how long does it take for you to inhale.
And how long does it take for you to exhale?
Is the inhale longer than the exhale?
Or is the exhale longer than the inhale?
Or maybe they are balanced.
Are you inhaling and exhaling for the same count?
Explore.
Now regardless of what your breath is doing,
Is it possible to invite your breath to become slow and steady?
Invite your breath to become easy and deep.
Can you welcome your inhale into the bottom of your lungs?
Filling up completely.
And then squeeze out every last drop of air as you empty out.
Three more breaths just like that.
Inhaling,
Filling up.
Exhaling,
Emptying out.
Then,
Can you trust your body to maintain that comfortable rhythm of breath?
So that we can explore deeper.
You Step one is to simply notice that the spiral has begun.
That is awareness.
Recognizing what is happening to you at the start of the spiral.
What are the first signs that you are slipping into rumination?
Remember,
Rumination is where we get stuck focusing on past events.
Playing them over and over and over again in our mind.
And asking ourselves,
Why did I say that?
Why did I do that?
Beating ourselves up over something that is done and over.
That is how we can distinguish rumination from worry.
Worry is all about the future.
Focusing on uncertainties.
What if I fail?
What if I say the wrong thing?
So let's separate the two.
And just focus on rumination for right now.
Setting aside the worry.
And we can address that later.
So together,
Let's think about when you find yourself ruminating.
When those repetitive negative thoughts start,
When you feel yourself being sucked into the downward spiral.
What shifts in your body.
What sensations are present in your body.
At the start of rumination.
Can you name the feeling that you experience?
How does it feel?
You Where in your body do you feel that sensation?
Please do not allow your mind to go into blaming or shaming.
Ruminating is simply getting stuck.
In the loop of thinking and feeling.
Feeling and thinking.
This is what creates our state of being.
Your state of being is your overall condition.
Your well-being.
So what happens in our thought loop?
Is we have a thought.
That thought creates a corresponding feeling.
That feeling creates even more identical thoughts.
And now we are stuck in the loop.
So step two is to realize that you are the only person hurting.
Recognizing that you are a victim to that thought and feeling in this moment.
No one else is hurt by you beating yourself up.
Thinking what you could have or should have done differently.
And the past is gone.
It is done and over.
We cannot go back and undo what is already done.
But we can learn from it.
We can choose a different path next time.
We can make a better choice or decision today.
Right now.
Your brain is electric.
Your thoughts send an electrical signal out into the world around you.
Out into the quantum field.
Your body is magnetic.
Your feelings generate a magnetic charge that draws experiences to you.
When you loop the same thoughts and feelings together,
Over and over again.
They become a permanent automatic state of being.
And over time we begin to accept our state of being as our personality.
Do you want your personality to be based on negative thoughts and feelings?
If not,
We move to step 3.
Change it.
Moving out of our head and into our heart.
Consciously choosing a different state of being.
Catch yourself each time the old way of thinking comes back.
Because it will.
We simply have to notice it.
And then shift to a thought that feels better.
A thought that will move us in the direction of where we want to go.
Instead of reliving where we messed up.
Failure is the breeding ground of greatness.
Mistakes teach us valuable lessons.
It's time to self-regulate.
There is no blame here.
There's no shame.
And there are no excuses.
Step 3 takes time.
It's called a practice for a reason.
We have to let go of our perfectionism.
We will not get this right the first time.
We are learning to rewire our thought process.
This takes time.
So be easy with yourself.
As Dr.
Joe says,
Thoughts are the language of the brain.
And feelings are the language of the body.
The quickest way to shift our vibrations.
Is to move towards gratitude.
What are you grateful for right now?
Despite the challenges you are facing.
Even if it's just gratitude for your next breath.
Allow gratitude to blossom within your heart.
Grateful to find this moment,
To just be fully present with your breath.
Make a commitment to yourself to start rehearsing new thoughts.
To start practicing new elevated emotions.
Like gratitude.
And allow gratitude to become a portal into joy.
Practice this over and over again.
Practice this so many times that the new thoughts get hardwired into your mind.
Then what you will find.
Is that you have created a new way of being.
You will no longer have to think about it.
You will notice that you have become a whole new you.
Together,
We went from thinking to doing.
To being.
We started with thinking.
Noticing the old thought pattern and creating new thoughts.
Than we transition to doing.
Aligning your actions with your new knowledge.
To create new experiences.
And then we ended with being.
Choosing to change your state of being.
Becoming the version of you that you've always wanted to be.
No longer victim to the whims of fate.
You control the pen.
You get to write your story and create a new path forward.
Congratulate yourself for taking this time.
For making the effort.
In seeking a new path forward.
Let's lock this feeling of ease into your body.
Allowing your breath to be your transportation back to this moment in time.
Breathing slowly and deeply three times to lock this feeling into your mind and body.
Now,
When your thoughts begin to spiral,
You have a plan.
You have the map and the breath to guide you back to a new way of being.
When you feel ready,
Please blink your eyes open with a smile.
Embrace your new way of thinking and being.
Choose to have a great day today.
Please allow this meditation to be your constant companion.
Until the new thought pattern is so easy.
So familiar.
That you no longer need my assistance to get back to calm.
Commit to yourself.
I wish you well,
My friend.
