Most of the content of our thoughts relates to our nervous system and our perception of safety or threat.
Most of the content of our thoughts also relates to the past.
We ruminate about things that have happened in the past.
We have trouble letting go of things,
Maybe.
And we worry about things in the future.
We try to predict the future.
That's part of the function of the primitive brain.
We take all of our experience of the past and all of the beliefs that formed from our experience.
And we worry about the future.
We try to predict what might happen and how we could best keep ourselves safe,
How we could be ready for that.
Bring to mind or pay attention or witness any worried thoughts that are in your mind right now.
It could be something you're worried about in this moment or something from the past little while,
Something that your mind keeps coming back to.
Notice the continuity of your breath.
Soften your belly on the exhale.
Let your breath calm your nervous system.
Be aware of your whole body as well,
Head to toes.
And then noticing what's going on in your mind,
If there are thoughts of what's going to happen next and am I going to be okay and how can I manage the danger or the threat.
Bring those to mind and let yourself focus on them.
Notice if it's words or images.
And then at the same time,
Soften the forehead and the eyebrows.
As you breathe out,
Let your forehead soften all of those subtle muscles for communication in the forehead and around the eyes.
The eyebrows themselves,
Let that soften and settle as you breathe out.
And then as you breathe in,
Keep your attention focused there.
And then as you breathe out,
You could let them soften more.
And if you've lost track of the worry or the anxious thoughts,
You could bring them back.
See if you can entertain your worries at the same time as you soften your forehead,
Your eyebrows,
Your eyes.
Stay connected with your body and your breath.
Soften your forehead as you breathe out.
Maintain your focus on the softening with the out breath.
As you're doing that,
Bring to mind any worries or concerns.
From the softening of the forehead muscles to paying attention to the thoughts behind the forehead.
Just notice what happens in your mind,
What's happening in your thought stream.
Working with worries,
Anxious thoughts at the same time as we relax the forehead and eyebrows.
Bring your awareness back to your whole entire body.
Movement of your belly as you breathe,
The softening of your stomach.
Let yourself rest.
And then when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
