For this practice,
You could be seated or lying down.
I really like to do this as a journaling exercise.
Sometimes I find that when I write down my thoughts,
It allows me to see them more clearly and get them out from inside my own head.
And then I can feel a little bit more relaxed.
So if you'd like to get a journal or even just a piece of paper and a pen so you can write down some of your observations,
Go ahead and take a moment and get what you'll need in order to have that with you.
As we go through these next four questions,
At the end of every reflection,
I will invite you to offer some thanks to that part of yourself and to that part of your own life experience.
And I'll invite you to then release the thought so that you don't have to bring it with you in your head when you go to sleep.
But instead,
As we bring a mindful awareness and an attitude of kindness and friendship,
It will invite you to accept the fullness of your own life and then to let it go so that you can get some rest.
So our first question is,
What did you accomplish today?
This is where you get to give yourself credit.
What did you accomplish today?
And it can be as simple as,
I took a shower.
Or I brushed my teeth today.
It's really important that you allow yourself to include even the smallest things.
It doesn't have to be big.
This is also not where you look at your to-do list,
But really instead,
Just give yourself credit and notice.
What did you accomplish today?
The point of this question is to take time to acknowledge and celebrate what you did do because if you don't,
Who will?
Give yourself credit for any small thing.
And there's no need to qualify or explain.
Maybe it was sending an email or maybe it was being screensed down for the day.
Every day is different.
And so when we look back and we ask,
Gosh,
What did I do today?
What did I accomplish?
There will always be a new answer.
Sometimes the answer might be,
I stayed on the couch all afternoon.
And you know what?
You get credit for that too because sometimes that is the best kind of self-care.
I want to invite you to let go of needing to compare yourself to other people or to a different version of you and really just celebrate and acknowledge the person that you are right now and whatever it was that you did end up doing today.
And when you complete your writing,
You can say to yourself,
Thank you,
Good job,
I release you.
And now we move to our second question,
Which is,
How were you supported today?
You always have support,
Even if it's just the ground beneath your feet or the blue sky above your head.
Sometimes it's easy to forget to notice just how much support you have around you.
You might feel like you're on your path all by yourself,
But truly when we pause and notice,
See that you're never alone.
How were you supported today?
Take a moment to notice and receive.
Maybe it was a kindness from a friend or a stranger.
Maybe it was noticing something beautiful,
Like a flower blooming in the neighborhood that gave a little bit of nourishment to your spirit,
That gave you a little bit of a sense of delight.
Sometimes I remember that even the stoplights on the street are a way of supporting me,
Of helping to keep me safe when I cross the street and the other cars can pause.
And we all get to where we need to go.
We just take turns and those stoplights,
Even though they seem so ordinary and unremarkable,
In a way,
They really do support me.
And they support you too.
What other ways have you received support along your path today?
When you have finished answering this question,
You can then say,
Thank you,
I release you.
Our third question,
What,
If anything,
Did you avoid today?
This question is not for beating yourself up or for thinking that you should have accomplished more.
But instead,
This question is an invitation to be curious about what's really going on with you.
I know that when I'm in avoidance,
It often creates anxiety for me and I'll find ways to soothe that anxiety instead of simply facing the discomfort of whatever it is I'm avoiding.
It might be a conversation with someone that I'm afraid to have,
Or maybe there's a task that I think will be uncomfortable or difficult.
Maybe for you,
There's mail that's piling up that you've been avoiding opening.
Or maybe you've avoided asking someone for help with something.
Be curious.
Write down whatever comes up for you.
What,
If anything,
Did you avoid today?
And when you have completed your answer to this question,
Then you say,
Thank you,
I release you.
And our fourth question is,
What did you learn about yourself today?
As you reflect on the day that you had,
What did you notice about you?
What kinds of thoughts or emotions did you have?
What choices or decisions did you make?
What were the behaviors that you noticed?
And again,
There's no need to judge or to be unkind with yourself here.
It's really an invitation to know yourself even more deeply,
To become more of a friend with who you are and how you are experiencing your life.
And when you have finished noticing what did you learn about yourself today,
Then you can say,
Thank you,
I release you.
And this helps us to remember that every moment is new,
That you are always arriving and letting go of every moment in the same way that every breath arrives and then is released with the exhale.
That every moment is a gift,
No matter what it brings,
Because every experience is a part of this sacred life of yours.
