Mindfulness When Waiting Feels Hard

This audio begins with a patient breathing exercise followed by a song about breathing. Then it discusses how waiting can be hard to do and offers suggestions for making patience feel easier. Then listeners are invited to practice patience with 30 seconds of silence. The episode ends with affirmations.

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Noah,

And this is Like You,

A mindfulness podcast for kids.

I'm so glad you're here.

Do you think of yourself as a patient person?

On this episode,

We'll talk about what to do when waiting feels hard.

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 start with a patient breathing exercise.

I'll ask you to breathe in as long and slow as you can.

Then you'll hold your breath and wait as I count to five.

Then slowly blow the air out.

If you have trouble holding your breath,

That's okay.

Just breathe when you feel like you need to.

Here we go.

Take a long,

Slow breath in.

Hold it for 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

And breathe slowly out.

Once again,

A slow,

Long breath in.

Hold your breath 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

And slowly breathe it out.

Once more,

Slow breath in.

Hold it 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

And slow breath out.

Great job.

Now on the count of three,

Let's all say,

I like me.

1,

2,

3,

I like me.

I like you too.

You are strong,

Patient,

And kind.

You know what,

That breathing exercise reminds me of one of our short breathing songs called Hold It For A Moment.

Why don't I sing a little bit of that song as you continue practicing long,

Patient breaths.

Sound good?

Okay,

I just need to find where I left that song.

Can you wait while I search for the song?

Let's see,

Where did I leave that song?

In this pile?

No.

I know it's around here somewhere.

Thank you for waiting patiently while I look.

Oh,

Here it is.

Thanks for waiting.

Now I'll just start playing the song.

There we go.

Let's enjoy this music that starts the song.

And when the words start,

I'll ask you to breathe along with the words of the song as I sing.

Keep breathing as I sing.

And once again,

Breathe deep.

Hold it for a moment,

Then slowly blow it out.

Breathe deep.

Hold it for a moment,

Then slowly blow it out.

Fill your lungs as you breathe along.

Hear your heartbeat adding rhythm to your song.

And once again,

Breathe deep.

Hold it for a moment,

Then slowly blow it out.

Breathe deep.

Hold it for a moment,

Then slowly blow it out.

Waiting can be hard to do,

Can't it?

I know I find it hard to wait when I'm looking forward to something.

What are some things that you find it hard to wait for?

I'm listening if you want to say your answer out loud.

Maybe it's hard for you to wait for your birthday,

Or the weekend,

Or a play date with your best friend.

Or maybe you're excited about an upcoming holiday,

And you feel like you don't want to wait anymore.

How does it feel when someone tells you to be patient,

Or that you'll have to keep waiting for something?

I'm listening if you want to share your thoughts.

It can feel frustrating or annoying to wait.

Maybe it even makes you angry to wait.

Maybe it makes you feel like you don't have any control over the situation.

Does waiting ever make your face scrunch up into a pout?

Whatever you feel when you have to wait,

I know that waiting can be hard to do.

But sometimes,

Waiting is the only option.

We can't make the days go by any faster,

And we can't make the clock tick faster.

So what do we do when we have to wait?

Well,

That's a good question.

It can help to take your mind off the waiting by focusing on something else.

Pick an activity you like to do to pass the time.

Draw a picture,

Talk to a friend,

Take a walk with your family,

Or read a book.

Or you could try some mindful ways to pass the time.

You could take slow,

Deep breaths,

And count how many breaths you take.

Or you could pick something close to you and examine it very closely.

Pick up a ball or a pencil or a stuffed animal and really look closely at it.

Closer than you've ever looked before.

How does the object feel?

How does it smell?

What kind of details or designs do you notice?

Another mindful cure for waiting is to check in with your body from head to toe.

Start at the top and ask yourself how your head feels.

Then move down,

Checking in with each body part as you go.

Face,

Neck,

Shoulders,

Chest.

Think about how each part of your body feels before moving to the next part.

Work your way down until you reach your toes.

And another great way to pass time is to sing a song.

You could sing out loud,

Or even just sing inside your head if you're waiting somewhere quiet,

Like a classroom or a library.

You could sing your favorite song from Like You.

Or you could make up a song of your own about waiting.

Here,

I'll make up a waiting song now.

It's hard to wait.

It's hard to wait.

But I sure think that it would be so great,

If I never ever had to wait.

I sure think that it would be so great,

If I never ever had to.

I sure think that it would be so great,

If I never ever had to wait.

While I wait,

I'll spend my time thinking of a rhyme,

Finding out that I'm so patient.

While I wait,

I'll spend my time thinking of a rhyme,

Finding out that I'm patient.

When it's time to wait,

It's hard to wait.

But I sure think that it would be so great,

Yeah,

I sure think that it would be so great.

I said I sure think that it would be so great,

Yeah,

I sure think that it would be so great,

If I never ever had to wait.

Hey,

That was kind of fun.

Wait a second,

Does that mean waiting can be fun?

Maybe.

If you fill the waiting with something you enjoy,

It can make a big difference.

So I've given you a few ideas about things to do when you have to wait.

Now I'm going to give you a chance to practice waiting.

I'm going to do something that's maybe never been done in the history of podcasts,

Though I can't know for sure.

I'm going to insert 30 seconds of silence.

No music,

No talking.

And I want you to listen to all 30 seconds of the quiet.

Don't skip over it.

Don't turn off the podcast.

Choose something to do while you wait.

You can take deep breaths,

Sing a song,

Or just sit there counting the seconds.

Whatever you choose to do to pass the time as you wait.

And we'll start now.

Now it's time for affirmations.

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

You can say them out loud or inside your head.

I'll say each affirmation twice so you can listen the first time,

Then say it together with me the second time.

Here we go.

I am patient.

I am patient.

I am patient.

I am in control of my feelings.

I am in control of my feelings.

I am thankful for this moment.

I am thankful for this moment.

I am growing inside and outside.

I am growing inside and outside.

I can take things one step at a time.

I can take things one step at a time.

Sometimes things take time.

Sometimes things take time.

I can choose my attitude.

I can choose my attitude.

I am calm and relaxed.

I am calm and relaxed.

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.

If you have an affirmation that is special to you,

I would love to hear it.

Here's an affirmation from one of our listeners now.

Hi,

My name is Raina and I'm five years old.

My favorite affirmation is my positive thoughts create positive feelings.

My positive thoughts create positive feelings.

That's a great affirmation,

Raina.

Thanks for sharing.

If any other listeners want to send a recording of your favorite affirmation to play on the show,

Have a grownup check our website or show notes for more information.

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 Sane,

And our episode art is created by Lindsay Glenn.

Thanks for listening.