Hello,
Hi.
So I had the idea for today's meditation when I realized that I was having a massive spike in my anxiety on the weekends when I didn't have any plans or any work to do.
And I realized that the little capitalist hustle culture voice in my head doesn't turn off just because it's the weekend.
And these thoughts and fears of not being productive were causing me to have anxiety and preventing me from getting the rest that I needed for the next week.
So if you have a little capitalist voice in your head like I do,
I hope this meditation can help you give yourself the permission to slow down,
Rest,
And relax this weekend.
And if nothing else,
I hope it can help you mentally shift gears and ease into the weekend.
If you're new here,
Hi,
I'm Amber.
At my day job,
I'm a project manager for a Fortune 100 tech company,
And this is where I teach meditation for people who live in the modern world.
One of the things that we talk about on this channel is how to use mindfulness to be productive at work,
Whether that's your full-time gig or a side hustle,
While also maintaining your mental health and work-life balance so that you can thrive and be your best self.
If that sounds interesting to you,
I hope you'll like,
Subscribe,
Or follow,
Depending on where you're watching this.
And with that,
Let's jump into today's meditation.
All right,
Let's take a few moments now to get settled in.
Take a few deep breaths,
Noticing the cadence of your inhales and your exhales.
Sometimes it helps to inhale through the nose,
And then exhale with your lips pursed,
Like you're blowing through a straw,
Making an audible sound.
Sitting up straight with your hands in your lap or by your sides,
Letting your feet be flat on the floor,
Just noticing your inhales and your exhales,
Becoming aware of this moment.
And whenever I have a recurring or negative,
Unhelpful thought,
I like to do what I call holding court with these voices.
And in this metaphor,
I'm the benevolent queen,
And this persistent,
Anxious voice is one of my advisors.
And just for a second,
I invite you to imagine that you are the king,
Queen,
Or ruler over your own mind,
Because you are.
And because you are a benevolent ruler,
When an advisor has something to say,
You can hold court and give the thought or feeling its moment to express itself.
You listen carefully,
And no matter what the anxious thought says,
You listen and you respond with kindness.
So for example,
For me,
When I hold court,
And I make space for this anxious voice to express itself,
What I find is a feeling of striving or a feeling of urgency in my chest.
That feeling tells me to work longer and harder and that taking a rest is lazy.
But just because we're giving airtime for that thought to be heard,
That doesn't mean that we have to take its advice or act on it in any way.
And as a benevolent queen,
I know that taking rest can sometimes be the best thing that I can do to take care of myself and to ensure that I'm healthy enough to work on my goals in the long term.
So most of the time,
When I hear this particular anxious thought,
I acknowledge it.
I say,
Thank you for expressing your concern.
And then I move forward and I choose an activity that I know is best for me.
So let's all take a few moments now to hold court,
To listen to any thoughts and feelings as they arise.
What are they trying to tell you?
And don't forget that the breath is here to assist you.
Breathe in and breathe out.
And if you notice that you're getting distracted from the exercise,
Come back to holding court with your thoughts and your feelings,
Acknowledging them and responding with firmness and kindness.
The thing I've found with anxious thoughts is that they can be really convincing.
If I'm not mindful,
They can convince me that everything they're saying is true.
But once I remember that I am the benevolent ruler and that anxiety is only an advisor,
Then I can take back control and make decisions that truly serve me.
Wherever you're at now,
Take a deep breath.
Take this opportunity to release any last bit of tension from the body.
Come back to your body and the room around you,
Opening the eyes whenever you're ready.
If you're like me and you experience anxiety from time to time,
You might like to check out my playlist which has a bunch of other meditations on anxiety.
I hope you'll check it out.
Thank you as always for meditating with me and I'll see you again next time.
