Welcome to this meditation focused on helping you find relief from anxiety.
Included in this meditation are simple and effective exercises that you can take with you to do on your own throughout the day,
Or you can always return to this meditation when you're experiencing anxiety for a more guided experience.
So let's begin by practicing focusing your attention on the present moment,
Taking a break from your to-do lists and thoughts about the future and the past,
And focusing in on your breath.
Get yourself into a comfortable position,
Settle in,
And when you're ready you can gently close your eyes and just start to notice your breath.
There's no need to control it or change it right now,
Just notice your breathing without judging it.
Noticing the inhale and the exhale.
Notice how your body moves when you breathe in and out,
Your chest rising and falling,
How your back lightly pushes against the surface that you're resting on with each inhale,
Feeling how the air moves in and out of your nose,
How the air feels cool as it comes in through your nose,
And how it's warm when you breathe out.
You may find that your mind wants to drift toward thinking about the things that you're dealing with in your life,
The stories that accompany your anxiety and stress.
These stories bring up the urge to try to figure it all out,
Or understand what happened in the past,
Or plan and prepare for the future by going through all of the what-ifs.
What if this happens?
What if that?
For now,
Allow yourself to let go of those stories,
And instead let's focus on the experience of anxiety itself,
Starting with the feelings in your body.
Where in your body do you feel anxiety?
You might feel it in your neck,
Your shoulders,
In your chest or stomach,
Maybe in your jaw,
Perhaps throughout your whole body.
And what is the feeling like?
Explore this feeling.
Be curious about it.
How would you describe the feeling of anxiety?
Is it tense,
Tight,
Heavy,
Light,
Buzzing or energized?
How would you describe it?
Now focusing on breathing into the area in your body where your anxiety is,
Breathing into that area,
And then exhaling from that place too.
Anxiety is felt in your body and fueled by your thoughts,
By your mind.
It's a very activating feeling,
Generating energy throughout your body.
This energy can be motivating and productive when it's channeled into action,
But oftentimes it's channeled into thinking and overthinking,
Worrying and ruminating,
And that's where it can get stuck.
So right now,
Without getting into the stories or details behind your anxiety,
Sense into the energy of anxiety.
Feel it in your body and how it moves within your body.
Do you notice any urges to move?
Perhaps an urge to fidget or move your legs,
Move your body in some way,
The urge to get up and do something.
Acknowledge the urge and feel the energy behind the urge.
Focus on sending that energy down through your body,
Through your legs,
Down into your feet,
And out into the earth.
Feel the energy passing through you,
Almost electric,
Down through your legs,
And you can even press your heels into the ground to help focus the energy downward.
Feeling the pressure as you push down and the ground beneath you holding firm,
Pushing up against your feet,
Feeling solid,
Secure,
Surrounding you in the space that you're in.
Feeling the energy pulsing down through your feet,
And then drawing energy from the earth up through your feet,
Through your legs,
Up through your torso,
Into your chest,
And then down your arms and into your hands,
Feeling the energy there.
You might notice a tingling sensation or warmth in your hands.
Now rub your hands together,
Generating friction and heat.
Place your warm palms over your eyes.
Feel the warmth radiating from your palms,
Warming your eyes and your face,
Letting it soothe you,
Letting the energy continue to circulate through you so that it doesn't get stuck or pent up inside of you.
And gently sliding your hands down your face,
Feeling your fingers glide across your cheeks and jaw,
Letting them fall gently back into your lap or at your sides where they're comfortable,
Noticing any residual sensations in your face and in your hands,
Feeling your body in contact with the chair or whatever surface you're resting on,
Feeling yourself being supported,
Held,
Relaxed and comfortable,
And continue to breathe slowly and deeply.
And continuing to focus now on calming the body.
Imagine there's warm water that's being poured slowly over the crown of your head.
And as it's pouring down your head,
Imagine it relaxing each part of your body that it touches,
Warming your scalp,
Pouring down your neck and shoulders and upper back,
Feeling your muscles loosen,
Almost as if the water's seeping into your muscle fibers,
Smoothing them out,
Remembering that when you can calm your body,
You can help calm your mind.
So take a moment to scan through the rest of your body and notice any sensations.
What areas catch your attention?
What do you notice?
Focus in on what you're feeling and gently breathe into it,
Giving yourself permission to release and relax with each exhale.
Breathing deeply,
Opening up your chest,
Go ahead and place one hand on your chest.
Feel that hand rising and falling with each breath.
If you'd like,
You can place your other hand on your belly and also feel that hand rising and falling with your breath.
As you become more aware of your experience of anxiety,
You can also gently talk to the anxiety,
Offer it acknowledgement,
Assurance,
Even appreciation.
It's okay,
Anxiety.
Thank you for trying to protect me and keep me alert and prepared.
I'm safe right now.
It's going to be all right and I'm going to be okay.
Give yourself permission to relax and just be.
If you'd like,
You can repeat the following affirmations in your head or simply listen to them and take them in.
In this moment,
I have everything I need.
I am safe and secure in myself.
I can let my insecurities and fears fall away for now.
I'm open to receive stability and security.
I allow myself to have positive thoughts and feelings without fear or worry.
I feel my power and I know my worth.
I can choose how and where I spend my energy.
I can always come back and reconnect with myself.
Go ahead and take a deep breath.
And notice how you're feeling now,
Sensing a calmness and allowing your attention to stay in the present moment for just a few moments more.
Take a moment right now to offer yourself deep gratitude for taking this time to care for yourself and take a break from your worries,
Fears and feelings of uncertainty.
Know that you can return to this meditation whenever you need it or practice on your own throughout your day,
Every day to give yourself some moments of relief,
Soothing and peace.
The more you practice,
It will become a habit that will make a significant difference in how you handle anxiety and stress.
Thank you for joining me in this meditation and take good care.
