Hi there.
So that tight feeling in the chest,
The mind looping over what ifs like a broken record?
Yeah,
It's something we all experience and it's easy to get swept away by it.
So let's explore how to be with worry without letting it define us.
Let's start by pausing,
Just gently close your eyes.
Allow your body to settle.
Just feel the weight of your body being supported by the chair or the floor or the earth itself.
And there's nothing that you need to fix right now.
There's nowhere else that you need to be.
Let's just take a long,
Slow breath in and a long,
Slow breath out.
Let's do it again,
In and out.
Feeling your body naturally beginning to settle.
And I'd invite you to bring to mind something that you've been worrying about lately.
It could be a small nagging concern or maybe a bigger looming fear.
Whatever comes up naturally,
Just allow it to be here with you.
Notice how your body reacts.
Is there a tightness?
Maybe your heart's racing.
Maybe there's a heaviness in your chest or a knot in your gut.
Just take a moment to simply observe.
We're not trying to change anything.
We're just noticing.
Giving permission to feel exactly what you feel.
Good.
And now,
Imagine that your worry is like a passing weather system.
It rolls in.
Dark clouds,
Maybe a rumble of thunder.
But it doesn't stay forever.
It moves across the sky,
Always changing,
Always shifting.
And in the same way,
Your worry isn't permanent.
It might feel big right now,
But it's just a visitor.
And it's not who you are.
So with your next breath in,
Just silently say to yourself,
This,
Too,
Is temporary.
And with your breath out,
Silently say,
I am safe in this moment.
Breathing in,
This,
Too,
Is temporary.
Breathing out,
I am safe in this moment.
And if you're feeling the worry growing stronger,
That's okay.
But you don't have to wrestle with it.
And you don't have to reason with it.
You can simply sit with it,
Like sitting with a friend who's having a hard time.
Offering them quiet companionship without needing to fix them.
What do you think?
Do you think you can offer yourself that same compassion?
Maybe you can picture yourself in a cozy room looking out a window.
Outside,
There's a storm raging.
But inside,
You're warm and dry.
The storm is real,
But you're safe within.
You can feel the steadiness of your breath.
The steadiness of your presence.
And remember that no storm lasts forever.
And no worry defines the wholeness of who you are.
So let's anchor even deeper now.
Take one hand,
If you can,
And just place it on your chest,
On your heart.
Feel the warmth of your hand against your chest.
Feel the gentle beating of your heart.
And as you breathe,
You might say to yourself,
I'm doing my best.
I am allowed to feel uncertain.
I trust that I will find my way.
Now,
You might not have all the answers right now,
And that's okay.
Worry just wants to trick you into thinking that you have to solve everything this instant.
But wisdom reminds you that life unfolds one breath,
One moment,
One small step at a time.
And so now,
As we near the end of our time together,
Just take one more slow,
Grounding breath.
Inhaling a sense of calm possibility.
Exhaling,
Letting go of the need to control the future.
And whether you find yourself caught up in the tangle of worry,
Remember,
You can always return to your breath.
You can always return to that steadfastness inside of you.
As the Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield once said,
You can't stop the waves,
But you can learn to surf.
And worry may still arise.
That's human.
But with practice,
You can learn to ride the waves of life with a little more grace,
A little more compassion for yourself.
So,
Take one last nourishing breath.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and carry this softness,
This steadiness back into your day.
Thank you so much for joining me.
