A Castle In Your Mind

First we sing a short breathing song. Next we use imagination to picture a castle in our minds. It is filled with our favorite things, and we can climb its towers to see calming views. Then we imagine different emotions approaching the castle. With each one, you can decide whether to lower the drawbridge and let it in, or whether to send it away.

We end by singing a relaxing song.

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Noah,

And this is Like You,

Mindfulness for Kids.

I'm very glad you're here.

On this episode,

We'll imagine a castle inside our minds,

And we'll decide which feelings to let in and which ones to send away.

So,

Listeners of all ages,

Find a place to listen where you feel comfortable and safe.

As I ask questions and invite you to say affirmations,

You're welcome to speak out loud,

Or as always,

You can just think your responses quietly in your mind.

Let's begin with a simple musical breathing exercise.

I'll sing a short song.

Each line will either begin with the words breathe in or breathe out.

You can just listen and breathe along.

Remember to relax and take deep,

Slow breaths.

Breathe in slowly through your nose.

Breathe out low and let it go.

Breathe in deep and fill your chest.

Breathe out,

Let your body rest.

Breathe in,

Feel your belly rise.

Breathe out as you close your eyes.

Breathe in,

Let your troubles go.

Relax your body head to toe.

Breathe in slowly through your nose.

Breathe out low and let it go.

On the count of three,

Let's all say I like me.

One,

Two,

Three.

I like me.

I like you too.

Your thoughts and ideas are important to me,

And how you feel matters.

We're going to talk more about different kinds of feelings today,

But first I want you to imagine your very own castle.

Close your eyes and open up your mind.

Now picture a hill.

On top of the hill sits your castle.

It has tall walls with even taller towers at each corner.

Surrounding the castle is a wide moat,

So no one and nothing can get inside your castle unless you decide to lower the drawbridge and let it in.

Now I want you to imagine what it's like inside the castle.

It's a warm,

Safe,

Happy place to be.

You can pick any color to paint the walls.

What color would you make your walls?

Now imagine rooms filled with your favorite things.

One room has all your favorite books.

Another room is full of your favorite toys.

Another room is a quiet,

Comfy,

Cozy place with a big fluffy chair and a floor covered in pillows where you can go to rest,

Relax,

And feel calm.

Imagine being in that comfy room as you take a few more deep breaths and relax your body from your head down to your toes.

Now that you've built this castle in your mind,

You can come here anytime you need a safe,

Calm space or a break from big feelings.

Right now,

I want you to imagine climbing to the top of a castle tower.

From way up high,

You can look out far and wide across your kingdom.

In one direction,

You see a forest full of trees that sway in the breeze.

I'm swaying back and forth,

Back and forth,

Back and forth.

Looking in another direction,

You can see a field full of wildflowers.

Each flower is beautiful in its own way,

Just like you and all the people you know.

Some are big,

Some are small.

They're all different colors.

But viewing this field of wildflowers from a distance,

They all blend together into a colorful work of art.

Now,

Looking out in another direction,

Imagine you see a stream with water flowing smooth and slow.

Imagine what it would be like to be that leaf,

Relaxing as it floats downstream.

Between the familiar relaxing rooms inside the castle and the calm views looking out from the tower,

Your castle is a very safe and comfy place to be.

Now,

From the top of your tower,

Imagine that you can see different feelings and emotions as they come your way.

Right now,

Imagine you see happiness heading your way.

What do you imagine happiness would look like as it walks toward the castle in your mind?

Think about a time that you felt happy.

We all feel happy sometimes.

How does your body feel when you feel happy?

Now,

Imagine happiness arriving at your castle.

It walks right up and stops when it reaches the moat.

Would you like to let happiness in?

If you do,

You can lower your drawbridge and invite happiness inside.

Now,

Look back into the distance and imagine you can see anger heading your way.

What do you imagine anger would look like?

We all feel angry sometimes.

Can you remember a time when you felt angry?

How does your body feel when you feel angry?

Now,

Imagine anger arriving at your castle.

It walks right up and stops when it reaches the moat.

Would you like to let anger in?

Would you like it to stay outside of your castle?

It's up to you.

Anger won't come in if you don't choose to lower the drawbridge and invite it in.

There might be times when you decide to let anger come in and keep you company for a bit.

Maybe if someone does something mean to you,

It might feel good to spend a little time with anger.

But even if you do decide to let anger in for a little while,

You can always ask it to leave when it overstays its welcome.

This is your castle and you're in control.

Next,

Let's imagine you can see sadness in the distance.

What do you imagine sadness would look like?

We all feel sad sometimes.

Can you remember a time when you felt sad?

How does your body feel when you feel sad?

Now,

Imagine sadness arriving at your castle.

It walks right up and stops when it reaches the moat.

Would you like to let sadness in?

It's up to you.

When something very sad and difficult happens in your life,

It can be comforting to spend a little time with sadness.

Have you ever lost a person who you love or a pet?

These are times when it would feel good to spend a little time with sadness so you know that you're not alone.

But other times you may not want to have sadness around,

So you can choose not to lower your drawbridge if you don't want to let sadness in.

It's your castle and it's up to you.

Now let's imagine one last feeling approaching.

Looking out into the distance,

You see boldness heading your way.

Feeling bold means you feel brave and strong and confident,

Like you're ready to do anything.

What do you think boldness would look like?

Can you think of a time you felt bold?

How does your body feel when you feel bold?

Now imagine boldness arriving at your castle.

It walks right up and stops when it reaches the moat.

Would you like to let boldness in?

You know what to do.

You can choose to lower the drawbridge or keep it up.

Remember now that you've built this castle in your mind,

You can return here anytime you want.

And don't forget that you're in control of your feelings.

It's okay to feel all sorts of feelings,

And you will feel them all in your life.

But you can always decide what to do with those feelings.

Now it's time for affirmations.

Affirmations are words you can say about yourself to remind yourself how wonderful you are.

I'll say each affirmation twice,

So you can listen the first time,

Then say it together with me the second time.

My mind is full of brilliant ideas.

My confidence is beautiful.

I will speak kindly to myself.

I choose my attitude.

I love myself just for being me.

I'm not afraid to try new things.

I am inspired by the world around me.

I am thankful for life.

Now let's take a few slow,

Deep breaths as we wind down our time together.

If any of those affirmations stood out to you,

Feel free to write them down,

Or just store them safely in your mind to say when you need it.

Now I'd like to end with a song.

So as you listen,

Feel free to dance or sing along.

Or you can imagine yourself back in your castle,

Relaxing in your favorite room,

Or looking out at the view of your kingdom.

Sometimes it's stormy.

Sometimes it's sunny.

Sometimes I'm anxious.

Sometimes I'm funny.

Sometimes it's cold.

Sometimes I'm sad.

Sometimes it's warm.

Sometimes I'm glad.

Outside the weather is always changing.

It may feel a different day today.

Inside me feelings keep rearranging.

I feel each one before it goes away.

Sometimes it's foggy and I feel strange.

And when the wind blows,

My feelings change.

I could feel lonely when sunshine comes to play.

I might feel joyful even on a rainy day.

The weather patterns are always changing.

Things may feel different day to day.

And all my feelings keep rearranging.

I feel each one before it fades away.

I can't wait to spend some time together again soon.

Until next time,

I like you,

I'm proud of you,

And I'm glad we are friends.

Have a happy and peaceful day.

Like You is written and hosted by me,

Noah Glenn.

I also composed and performed the Like You theme music and other music that appeared in this episode.

Our podcast cover art was illustrated by Maya Sain,

And our episode art is created by Lindsay Glenn.

Thanks for listening!