You You Take a moment to settle in Take a deep breath in through your nose the deepest breath you've taken all day Hold it and let it out slowly through your mouth And repeat that seeing if you can make the out breath longer And once more extending the out breath even longer You Check in with your body.
Are you comfortable?
Warm could you get more comfortable?
The aim of this meditation is to take some time to nurture yourself and relax deeply So take a moment to support yourself with cushions or cover up with a blanket Whatever you need to get super comfy for the next 20 minutes or so Being the main supporter of a person with cancer is an important part of our philosophy So Like You Because Being the main supporter of a person with cancer is an important,
Draining,
Difficult,
Rewarding and frustrating job.
I'm sure you have different words to describe it so I'll be quiet for a moment so you can think of a few that reflect your experience.
While your person is going through treatment there's usually a team of medical professionals around them but not so much for you.
Your person may be depending on you for emotional,
Physical,
Financial and other types of support,
All of which can place a heavy weight of responsibility on your shoulders.
If they are the person you usually discuss problems with it can feel really isolating as they most likely don't have the emotional capacity to be there for you right now.
If this is the situation you are currently in then if you can,
Find someone who can support you.
As your person leans out onto you,
You need to lean out onto someone else.
Maybe a trusted friend or perhaps a counsellor,
You might be able to access free or subsidised counselling through a local cancer charity.
Once treatment is over your person may need less support and be more able to support you,
But it's still a good idea to have your own support crew there for you while you and your person navigate the sometimes murky post treatment waters.
No matter where you are along your path,
One of the best things you can do for you both is to regularly take time to relax and decompress.
So being here right now is a positive thing and hopefully you can work pockets of relaxation time into your daily schedule.
Even just 5 minutes sitting in nature or somewhere calm and safe.
I like taking my car through a car wash with my phone off and a chocolate bar to eat when I need to take a break from the world.
Take deep belly breaths to calm the body and if mantras or affirmations are your thing then go for it,
But just sitting and breathing is enough.
So let's take some deep belly breaths together now.
You better believe you come to find it.
You you Now on your next inhale hold your breath for four three two one and as you exhale feel a wave of relaxation move down your body from the crown of your head to your toes We'll do that a few more times you can exhale through your mouth with your lips pursed to slow down your exhale Feel the wave of relaxation move down your arms and out through your fingers Feel the wave of relaxation move through your chest and belly Feel the wave of relaxation move down your legs and out through your toes Let your breathing return to normal and do a scan over your whole body Starting with your head and moving towards your feet Notice any areas that are tense or gripping Is your jaw clenched?
You can yawn and open your mouth wide and then relax your jaw Check in with your shoulders move them a little further away from your ears Keep moving your attention through your body noticing and releasing areas of tension I'll stop talking for a couple of minutes so you can listen to the music and keep scanning your body and relaxing You You You You You One of the hardest things when supporting someone during treatment can be a feeling of helplessness You want to make things better but often you have to sit back and let the medical team do their work Your person most likely appreciates you being there more than you realize and being a calm and supportive presence is hugely valuable even if it doesn't always feel that way to you Being calm and rested Having a lot of gas in your tank this means you're able to show up for your person and be the shoulder to cry on the cracker of jokes the bringer of cake You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of them You can't pour from an empty cup So you can return here or to any other guided meditation anytime you like To give you a slice of time where there's nothing for you to do except relax your body,
Breathe,
Rest and recharge You You We're coming to the end of our time together Let's deepen our breaths a bit You You Start to move fingers and toes Roll your head from side to side Remember where you are in the room and what time of day it is Open your eyes You can sit up if you've been lying down Remember you are welcome back here at any time Thank you for all you do to support your person and thank you for spending this time with me You
