You have checked your blood sugar,
Treated the low,
And now you are in this place of pause,
Pausing as you wait for the fast-acting glucose to be converted into energy in your body.
This takes a few minutes,
And it's normal to feel the urge to overconsume sugar to get your levels back in range.
Keep your medical supplies nearby,
Like your test kit or PDM,
And have a source of fast-acting glucose ready if it's needed.
Then find a comfortable place to rest in your pause.
You might choose to sit in a chair or on the floor.
Another option could be resting on your back or your side,
Maybe on the floor or in a bed.
The posture doesn't really matter,
And will depend on where you are right now and what feels most supportive in your body.
After you've found a place for your body to be,
You're invited to shift your attention to your breath.
Without changing your breath in any way,
Start to bring your attention to it right here,
Right now.
You might notice if your breaths are fast and shallow,
Or maybe slow and deep.
Another way to connect with your breath might be noticing if you're inhaling or exhaling through your nose or your mouth.
You might be curious about the temperature of the air.
Is it cool or warm on your inhale?
Does it change or stay the same as you exhale?
You're welcome to stay with your awareness on acknowledging the natural rhythm of your breath right here as it is.
If you're interested in slowing your breath down,
You might choose to intentionally move into a deeper breathing rhythm.
Or if you were already breathing in this way,
You might bring your attention to continue with this deeper breathing rhythm.
You might shift or notice what it feels like to inhale and exhale through your nose if you weren't there already.
Sometimes breathing through your nose can help lengthen your breath or slow your breath down.
Also,
Having some curiosity of if this feels supportive for you,
Knowing that if it doesn't feel supportive,
You're always welcome to shift your attention or shift how you're breathing,
Giving yourself permission to explore what works for you right now,
And if counting your breath feels useful,
You might shift so you're inhaling for a count of four,
Exhaling for a count of four,
Bringing your attention and your mind to keeping track,
Counting for yourself as you inhale and as you exhale,
Remembering that any length of time can be used.
So as you're breathing,
You notice you would like to add a count or two or take away a count or two to find the supportive rhythm that works for you.
You can.
Another way to check in with your breath or connect with this deeper breathing rhythm might be resting your hands to your torso in some way.
You might choose to place a hand over your heart or a hand over your belly,
Maybe resting your hands on the sides of your torso.
So there's a possibility that if your hands are connected to your torso,
You might notice some movement in your body here as you're breathing.
This movement might be the rise and fall of your rib cage,
Expansion,
Release your diaphragm or the beating of your heart.
You're welcome to stay here with your awareness on your breath,
Either your natural breathing rhythm or maybe the slower,
Deeper breathing rhythm.
If words would feel supportive here,
You might bring to mind an affirmation or a supportive phrase.
It could be something like,
I treated the low and I am safe.
You're welcome to use that phrase or a version of any supportive phrase that works for you.
I'm starting to repeat your supportive phrase and even sync with each breath cycle.
If you notice your mind start to worry or have concern about your blood sugar levels,
You can always check your continuous glucose monitor or use a finger stick,
Get some feedback from your body about where your blood sugar levels are now.
If you need to take action,
You can.
If you're still feeling that a place of pause would be supportive to give your blood sugar a time to rise,
Staying with this focus on how it feels to be in your body,
What it feels like to connect with your breath here,
And if words are feeling supportive,
Shifting your attention to your affirmation or your supportive phrase.
As you're tuning into your body,
You might be able to notice a shift in somatic signals or kind of feedback from your body as the low blood sugar symptoms begin to subside.
This practice will start to close,
Maybe by taking one more intentional breath in,
Followed by one more intentional breath out.
You might reorient to your space,
Perhaps checking in how you're feeling in your body.
Knowing that if returning to a place of pause,
Either now or later,
Would feel helpful,
You can always pause and check in,
Connect with your breath or your supportive phrase.
And when you are ready,
Continue moving through your day or going back to sleep if that's happened in the middle of the night,
Before the low blood sugar brought you to this moment of pause.
