Hi friends,
Welcome to your meditation.
My name is Amber and if you're feeling the worry and stress that sometimes comes with the end of the weekend,
Then today's practice is for you.
Let's begin by coming to a comfortable position,
Either sitting up tall or lying down.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose,
Filling the lungs completely.
Hold for a moment and then exhale through the mouth,
Releasing all the air.
Do this a few more times,
Taking deep inhales and then exhaling all the air out of your lungs completely.
So the Sunday scaries are a very particular type of anxiety that typically comes around on Sunday evenings when we start to imagine what's going to happen on Monday once work starts.
We're already mentally living in tomorrow instead of focusing on what's here today.
And the Sunday scaries are totally real.
I remember when I had this really toxic job,
I would start feeling the Sunday scaries around 1 or 2 p.
M.
And by the time 5 or 6 rolled around,
I would be completely sick to my stomach.
Sometimes I would even start answering emails on Sunday to get a head start on the week,
Which was so unhealthy.
So there is something to be said about making your work week something that you'll look forward to.
But if we're being realistic,
Very rarely is a 9 to 5 job going to be more appealing than relaxing and having fun on the weekend,
Even if you really enjoy what you do.
But I think that's okay.
I don't think having the Sunday scaries is inherently problematic as long as we bring awareness to the experience and we can breathe through it and not let it rob us of the last few hours of our weekend.
So as you breathe in,
Notice the air flowing through the nose.
And as you breathe out,
Let go of any worries or stress about the week to come.
Let go of any tension.
Breathing in and out,
In and out,
Allowing yourself to settle into the present moment.
Now bring attention to your physical body,
Noticing how it feels.
Notice the sounds around you,
The temperature of the room,
The feeling of your body resting.
There's no need to judge or analyze anything.
Just simply notice what's here for you right now.
And now shift your attention to your thoughts.
What's here now in the mind?
Are you already thinking about tomorrow's meetings and emails and to-do lists?
With compassion,
Acknowledge what thoughts are here without getting lost in them.
And on your next exhale,
See if you can let go of them just for now.
And it's very natural for the mind to wander.
So if you notice that your attention has drifted away,
With compassion and kindness,
Gently guide it back to the practice,
Back to the present moment,
Your breath,
And your body.
Now bring your attention to your emotions and whatever feelings are present for you right now.
Acknowledge them with kindness and compassion.
These feelings are a natural part of being human,
And it's okay to feel them.
As you breathe out,
See if you can start to release any tension around these emotions.
And if you find yourself getting lost in thoughts or emotions,
Simply return to observing the present moment.
As we come to the end of today's meditation,
Start to bring your awareness back to the body.
Notice if there are any changes within yourself that you can observe from the beginning of practice.
And take a moment to thank yourself for taking the time to practice some self-care today.
And when you're ready,
Take one last deep breath in,
And on your exhale,
Open the eyes.
Thank you so much for meditating with me today.
Please let me know what you thought in a comment below.
I always really enjoy hearing how your practice went.
I look forward to seeing you again next time,
And have a wonderful week.
