So noticing that you're feeling a little bit of distress or maybe a lot of distress,
A lot of discomfort.
Notice the feeling first of all in your body.
Maybe it's something in your stomach or tightness in your chest.
And saying to yourself,
This is a moment of suffering.
This is a moment of struggle in my life,
Difficulty in my life.
Acknowledging that,
Just bringing that to the surface.
Maybe something like,
Whoa,
This feels awful,
This feels bad.
Ooh,
I don't like this feeling,
This is difficult.
And remembering this is the mindfulness component.
This hurts.
And then saying to yourself,
Wow,
This kind of struggle is part of life.
It's not just me.
This is just part of being a human being,
Alive and on this planet.
We all go through this.
Other kids feel this way too.
Other teens experience this,
Particularly teens.
I'm not alone in this feeling.
All teens feel this at some time or another.
This is the common humanity component,
Right?
So understanding that we all feel this,
That we are not alone.
Now offering yourself a kind and soothing,
Supportive touch,
Soothing touch gesture.
So whatever gesture feels right to you,
Putting a hand on your heart maybe,
Or two hands on your heart,
Or maybe stroking your cheek,
Cradling your face with two hands.
Giving yourself pat on the back.
Some gesture that brings comfort to ourselves,
That's soothing for us.
And saying to yourself,
So may I be kind to myself?
May I be kind to myself?
Because this is difficult.
This is a hard moment.
And remembering that as teens,
You're going through so many changes,
So many transitions.
Changes in your brain,
Bodies are changing,
You may be in a new school,
Maybe thinking about college.
So many pressures going on in your life,
So many changes.
All happening really in a very few years.
So being kind to yourself when you're feeling this discomfort,
Or this anger,
Or this hurt,
Or this frustration,
Or whatever it is,
Whatever.
Maybe asking yourself,
What do I need to hear right now?
What words would I like to hear more than any other words?
What is it that I really need to hear?
And then saying those words to yourself.
So it might be words like,
You are loved,
Or I love you.
Or it might be words like,
You're safe.
You're safe.
You're safe right here.
Maybe words something like,
You are strong,
Or may I be strong.
May I be peaceful.
Maybe something like,
May I be open to the possibility of accepting myself just as I am.
Or maybe what you'd like to hear is,
You are worthy.
You are worthy of love.
Whatever it is that you need to hear right now,
You can say those words to yourself.
And noticing the feeling of the soothing touch gesture as you do this.
Feeling your hand on your heart.
Feeling the warmth of your hand on your heart.
Maybe making small circles with that hand.
And simply taking care of yourself in this way.
This was a moment for me.
It's all about taking a moment for yourself in the midst of everything else that's going on in your life.
