Taking Your Power Back: Diabetes Discussion & Meditation

This meditation is for people who live with diabetes. The session begins with a short discussion on how diabetes can make you feel powerless with strategies for taking your power back. A guided meditation follows that offers healing and peace to the parts of the body most impacted by diabetes.

Transcript

So, My name is Patricia Daker and I'm the owner and founder of a company called Better Diabetes Life. The company is dedicated to providing services and help for people that live with diabetes, Both type 1 and type 2. I'm really not about the diet and exercise as much as coping with it and dealing with all the stuff because it takes a lot of energy, A lot of emotions we have to deal with, Finding motivation, Figuring out how to make people understand what we need. It's very complex, But I found personally over the years that nobody really helps you with that piece. So that's what I'm all about. I have type 1. I wear a pump. I was diagnosed in 1991. I'm a registered nurse and I'm now a board certified nurse coach and I specialize in diabetes, Specifically burnout. So tonight's topic is about taking your power back and I find it's really easy to just get overwhelmed, Get the life sucked out of you. It's a hard journey and so sometimes we can really feel like everything's controlling us and we've kind of lost our place. So we're going to talk about that tonight. A bit of housekeeping quickly. So the format is a talk and then we'll do a meditation that I put together and I try to make it a little bit different every time so it just gives us a little bit of a different focus and this will be recorded so if you enjoyed it, You can play it back another time and I'll have that up later this week. While everyone is joining, If you know someone who has diabetes that could use some TLC and goodness and new perspective and maybe a big cup full of self-love, You might share this meditation or text them real quick. I do have a Q&A at the end so if you have any questions about anything, I'm happy to take a stab at it. Also, Insight Timer asks that I remind you of the donate button up there and so if you feel called to donate, That is greatly appreciated and keeps all these things coming to you. And what else? So if you would like to learn more about me, All that information is on my website which you can get to from my bio. So you would look at my bio, Find the website and you can find all the different things I do. I just posted a blog yesterday so there's stuff you can read there. Most of it's free. My services I do actually charge for. Okay, So that's the plan for tonight. Hi Paul! Thank you for the compliment. That's so sweet. Okay so when I get started, I'd like us to gather. So mentally I want us to picture ourselves together, Whether it's mentally, Whether you would like to imagine us all sitting around a table having dinner, In a room, At a party, Talking, Whatever that feels like for you. But I want you to know and feel like you're among friends and people who understand. Because for me personally, It wasn't until I really started meeting other people who lived with diabetes that I really found some companionship. People can be sympathetic and empathetic, But they really just don't get it unless they've lived with it. And so that's us tonight. That's what we're going to do. So imagine us kind of relaxing our shoulders, You know, We're going to give ourselves permission and time right now to take care of this stuff, Right? To pay a little attention to ourselves, To fill our cup back up. That's what this is. The best part is you don't have to do anything but listen and enjoy. I'd ask you to have an open mind and consider, You know, If there's a message for you somewhere, If it rings true. So I think let's take another deep breath as a group in through your nose. And then exhale. And we're going to do three or four what I call polyvagal breaths. And that helps shift us from fight or flight that I've talked about before, Which is that scary, Worried state of your nervous system into our parasympathetic nervous system, Which is relax, Restore and heal. And we all don't get enough of that. So when we do the polyvagal breathing, I'll breathe into a count of four and out to a count of eight for a total of 12. When you do this, Breathe in and out through your nose and actually that airflow stimulates your vagus nerve. That helps lower your blood pressure. It helps drop your heart rate. It relaxes you and helps shift you from worry mode into this parasympathetic goodness, Which is rest and restore. Relax on the exhales. Really just try to get very comfortable. So we'll do several of those and I'll count for you. We'll breathe in to the count of four. So in two, Three, Four, Out six, Seven, Eight, Nine, 10, 11, 12. Relax and let go. Breathe in two, Three, Four, Out six, Seven, Eight, Nine, 10, 11, 12. Relax. Let everything soften. Give yourself permission to be here right now. Breathe in again, Two, Three, Four, And exhale six, Seven, Eight, Nine, 10, 11, 12. I'm going to do one more. In two, Three, Four, Out six, Seven, Eight, Nine, 10, 11, 12. I wish I could do that and talk at the same time because I certainly enjoy the rounds of breathing. Okay. So, Before we start, We'll set an intention and my intention tonight for you is that we find your inner strength and power because we all have some and sometimes we just lose it. So we're going to talk about why that happens and how to get it back. So I'll start with a story. I like to do that. I think it's somewhat interesting. So when I have the occasion to speak to an audience, Especially people that don't have diabetes, I always tell this story. I start with this. So I'm going to ask you to do the same. So I want you to imagine the most annoying person you have ever met. You know, It might be a colleague, A teacher. For me, It was a customer. There was this woman when I worked in healthcare IT. Oh my gosh, If we had to be on a conference call with her, I just, I dreaded it, Right? Just annoying. They were never happy. Just horrible, Horrible, Right? So as of today, I've never met a person who didn't have somebody kind of pop in their mind instantly when they talked about someone who's annoying. So hoping, I guess if you didn't, That's a good thing. But imagine that person, Right? You have this annoying person, You just don't even like him. You just, You know, Oil and water. So I want you to imagine that that person is your roommate 24-7 for the rest of your life. And when I tell this to audiences, They kind of get this funny look on their face. But to me, That's what diabetes can be like. Didn't ask for it. You don't want it. You don't like it. It's uninvited. But there you are. And guess what? You have to give your things. You have to share your space, Your life. You have to spend your money on what it wants. It decides when you sleep, When you eat, When you go to the bathroom, What you can eat, What you can do, Where you can work, Right? There's this roommate that just is disruptive and invasive and not wanted at all. Right? It's just not fun. We talk about the things we have to do for diabetes, But nobody really gets that aspect. They expect us to just, You know, Keep your chin up and it'll be okay and do what you need to do. But they don't understand this burden of having this thing in your life for a long time, Forever. I mean, For most of us. And you don't really get any say about it, Right? It just shows up and there you are. So I want to talk about that, Right? So when you have that, I'm going to call it this unwanted roommate in your life, There's this disruption of power, Right? All of a sudden you no longer feel in control. This new roommate, Thinks Brooke, This new roommate is calling the shots for you, Right? And all of a sudden you're like, Hey, I'm in the back seat, Right? And you become kind of a guest in your own home. You're like, This isn't what I want. It's not how I want to live. The doctor-patient relationship can also further these feelings, Right? Because doctor's orders imply that they're in charge and the patient, Just by nature of what a patient is, Is passive, Right? So the doctor has all the information, The patient is passive and we receive care, Right? We get something from someone else. So that also takes away our power because now we're being told what to do and how to do it and when to do it, Not only by the disease, But by our parents, Our friends, Our doctors, Everybody else. So it can really make you feel like we don't have a lot of choice anymore. Well, And that's not fun, Right? Nobody wants to feel like they have no choices, Like you're a backseat driver in your own life. That's just really hard and it's hard to keep motivated, Right? So if somebody else is calling the shots and it doesn't matter what you say, Then what happens? Well, That's where we find give up and failure and why bother? Why even do any of this at all, Right? Have you ever felt that? Or it just seems like all this effort and work is not worth it, Right? Because you don't have any choice anymore. So what we end up doing is we give our power away because we believe we should. People tell us we should. You should do it this way and you should listen to what your doctor says. When you give up your power like that, It does not create feelings of happiness or joy, Excitement, Energy for helping you find and fuel your passion, Right? That doesn't feel good. Like it doesn't feel good at all. So here you are, You've lost your power, Now you feel bad, But you still have to do all this work, Right? It's sort of like a recipe for failure. It creates feelings of failure, Frustration, Hopelessness and sadness, Right? I've often said, And I think I've told you guys before on this, That imagine if you were interviewing two people and one over here was frustrated, Hopeless, Sad, Tired, You know, Just beat down and here's this other person who's hopeful, Capable, Confident, You know, Energetic, Well who are you going to hire? Who are you going to expect to do the work? But yet with diabetes we have this person who isn't really prepared to do a lot of hard work and diabetes is a lot of hard work, Right? So it just doesn't feel good and it doesn't fit. Becomes a vicious cycle, Right? So there's so many people that get deemed non-compliant and I hate that word, But it's because of this cycle, Right? The bar is too high, It's too much at one time, We don't understand it, We don't have the right coping skills, We get stuck in our emotions, We don't have motivation, We're tired, Everybody else is telling us what to do, We try and it doesn't work, Right? It's this vicious, Vicious cycle and at some point you may not have enough energy to keep doing it. You know some days are better than others, But a lot of people can really get stuck in this downward spiral and we see that globally with the pandemic, Not that one, But the pandemic that diabetes is, Right? It's pervasive, It's everywhere and so we have to change what we do, Right? We have to change and change takes energy and if you've given up your power, What do you do, Right? Okay, So I think I painted the picture, Everybody gets that, Right? That diabetes can really suck the life out of you and suck the power. So we're going to talk about how to break the cycle, Right? And so like with most of the things I do, It's mindset, I'm going to tell you a bunch of stuff, You won't go out and do it all at one time, But hopefully a few words strike a chord and you're like, I could do that, But that makes sense, I never thought of that before. That's what you want to cling to, Those are the things that we're looking for because once a light bulb goes off, The work's done. Once you know that, You can't unknow it. So hopefully we'll have some light bulbs go off while we're talking and then we're going to really kind of bake them in when we do the meditation. Okay, So we'll start with a roommate. You have to be in charge, Right? So if you're going to live with this crazy roommate the rest of your life, You have to be on your terms. Now what does that mean? That means you become responsible and that is not something the medical system often advises us, But I have found, And this is speaking from my own experience and other people, That when you decide it's going to be your way, That you're going to be informed, That you're going to look things up, That you're going to make choices, That you're going to figure out how to make it happen, It feels so much better. You lose some of the victims. I'll tell you another story. If you follow me on social media recently, A friend of mine, His name is Don Muchow, He ran from Disneyland, Get these confused, Disneyland in California to Disney World in Florida. Ran. He's an ultra marathoner. He runs like 30 miles a day. It's crazy. He didn't start this until like I think in his 40s. He's in his 50s now. But he was diagnosed with type 1 in his teens and he had to stop exercising, Stop gym class, You know, Oh you're too fragile and frail, And he kind of bought into it, Right? That's what he was told. That was all the expert advice. So fast forward many years later after he has eye surgery for retinopathy, Detached retina, You know, And they're like, Yep, That's just kind of what's going to happen now. And he's like, Wait a minute, There has to be something else, Right? So he decided to start running and he'd never run ever before. And he went from being a couch potato to running literally is one of the first, I think he's the first person to ever run from Disney to Disney. Absolutely amazing. And guess what, He figured it out as he went. My own personal story, I was told not to work nights and when I was diagnosed I was a night nurse. I was told not to have children. I was told a lot of stuff. And I did it on my own. I figured it out, Right? A lot of trial and error. Because I decided I would set the rules and I knew what I was willing and not willing to do. I didn't do anything crazy bad, But I did figure out how to make things work when things were important to me. And I did it on my own terms. And I think that's something, It's a mindset, Right? Or you're like, When you decide you want to choose to do something versus you have to, Choosing always feels better. I'm going to choose to eat that food. I'm going to choose to go for a walk. I'm going to choose which finger I'm going to prick. I'm going to choose to test my blood sugar because it's helpful to me. Not because I have to, Not because diabetes said I had to, But because I need to check up on diabetes because I need to know what you're doing inside my body. So that's kind of that mentality of being in charge of the relationship. If you're going to have a roommate, You decide the things you can. Now, Diabetes is going to pop its head up every once in a while, But the more you can mentally picture you coming up with this list of rules, Hey, If we're going to live together, This is how it's going to be, Right? And talk one more thing about choices is make sure they're loving and that you benefit, Right? When you choose to do something that's nice and kind for yourself, Again, Not to get back at diabetes. I know we've all been there where we just want to do something angry and mean. Actually we hurt ourselves to try and hurt diabetes. Those things are not loving and kind. So when you're thinking about that, That's something you can think about. And the other thing is just to notice that diabetes is your roommate and it's not you, Right? It's an unwelcome guest. It is not you, Right? So that's just a weird mindset, But it gives you some distance from this thing that's in your life that really isn't you. Yes, You have to deal with it. Yes, It's in your life, But to start thinking of it as this other person that you can tell it what to do and where to go and what you're going to do and what you won't, Right? So there's going to be those conflicts, But that's one idea. The other one is to remember you're the owner. So this kind of comes with that idea of responsibility. So think about things you own, Things you're responsible for. You own your home, You own your car, You might own a nice purse, You own your clothing, You know, Things that you own a Keurig if you love coffee, Right? There are certain things that we love that we own and we take much better care of things that we own. Now when we own things, That means responsibility. And so when you own a home, You got to pay the bills, You got to show up, You got to mow the grass, You know, You got to pay taxes, There's stuff you have to do. You have to be responsible, But it's worth the effort, Right? Because you own it, It's your thing and you get to care for it. And with that ownership, You can, Again, You get to make some decisions. How do you want to paint it? How do you want to furnish it? You know, Making the analogy of a house. If it's your car, You know, What kind of wheels? How often are you going to wash it? Do you like to polish it till it shines? You get to decide that because it's yours. And so we value the things we own. And so when we kind of own diabetes, We own our own life, We step into, Yep, There's going to be some extra work, But I'm going to be responsible. And I'm going to tell other people what I can and can't do, What I'm willing to do and not. I'll have conversations, I don't have to be mad. You know, There's a lot of emotional stuff that comes with it. But we tend to sometimes feel very victimized by diabetes, Right? Didn't get it. And then that victim, They're calling the shot. So it's really like transitioning the power of, I'm going to be responsible. And I'm going to take this because it's better for me. Right? So we're going back to that selfish self love. Be in charge, Right? Ownership creates power and authority. When you own something, You have the authority, The privilege to make those decisions, Right? So owning your own life, Owning your own list of what you are and aren't able to do, Willing to do. Okay, Number three, Set realistic goals. So you know, You go see your doctor and they're like, Here's what you need to do. And they give you this giant list of things and you look at that and you're like, There's no way I'm going to ever do that, Right? And say that they explained it all to you and you're like, Yep, I'll do it. And you walk out of the room and you go, There's no way I'm going to do that, Right? So typically when you, We feel this compelling urge to do everything up here. So I'm going to offer, I would rather you do 10 or 15 tiny things really, Really well and get them ingrained in a habit than one big giant one that you'll never get to, Right? So if the goal is, If we're here and the goal is here and we're trying to make a big jump, You will fall many, Many times. But if we just make little tiny steps, You know, Over time we'll get there. And so those little tiny things are achievable and more realistic goals. And I've used the word to, About what you're willing to do. Don't do something you're not willing to do. If you're not willing, You're not ready. So that's a mental exercise, Right? Well, Why am I not willing to do that if it helps me? Hmm, You know, Ponder that, Be curious. Because if it's something that helps you, It's a trade off, Right? I'm going to benefit and I really want to eat more, But right now I'm not going to. You know, Whatever that, That mental manipulation that you have to do, It's worth it, Right? So you get to decide, But you have to be willing, Right? And those things that you're willing to do and you keep moving in the direction of your goal, You'll get there. And guess what? Success feels good, Right? Your power back. Think about what it feels like when you win, Like you get something, You get done with the project, All that. Feels good, Right? It's empowering. And success breaks the cycle, Right? So it gets you out of that, I can't do this, I can't do this. I'm like, I did that one little thing, Now I'll do this next little thing. And every day you keep moving on that. So success is empowering. That's really, Really good stuff. Um, Talk a little bit about your doctor. So change the relationship. Again, I talked about a doctor being here and a patient being here passive. That is not how it works in my world. I'm on a par. I'm actually a little bit above them if you think about it. So I am the paying person. They are, I'm the customer, They're the servant, If you will. I pay them for their advice, For their schooling, For their expertise, For their guidance. But I'm paying, I'm the customer. And they don't get to decide. They're a paid advisor, They're part of my team, They're some of the information I get, Maybe a lot of it at that. But they do not get to be my judge and jury. I don't need judgment. And if a doctor's going to tell me, Talk to me like that, Then that's not the doctor for me because I do my best. I put the effort in, I show up, I try my hardest. And every day my hardest isn't perfect, Right? But I always do it. And so your doctor has to be beneath you. You're driving the shots. You're the one that gets to say, This is what I'm willing to do, What I'm not willing to do. And they need to be able to adjust and adapt or help you figure out another strategy, Right? But they are not the center of the rules and the laws of your life, Although we often, Often feel like that. I think one of the things too is like when it comes to lab values, I tell them what I'm comfortable with, Right? This is where I want my A1c. If it's under this, I'm fine. I know the effort. I know what it takes. And I know where I, So I don't need a lecture about any of the other stuff. I've been doing this a long time. Their job, By the way, Is to always want better and more. So the doctor, You go see them, They're going to look for a problem, Anything, Anything. And I've actually told my doctor, Don't do that to me. Like if I'm good, If I just need to come in for some basic labs, I don't need you to find something wrong every time. But that, If you understand the medical system, That's what they get paid to do. They have to find a problem and then they treat you for it. So I kind of relieve them of that ability. Puts me back in charge, Right? My way, My life, My goals. I need this and this from you today. I don't need that from you. I get to decide. And I literally do the talking before I let my doctor. I'm like, I'm paying for this. This is what I need today. I'll get to your stuff later. My doctor gets it now. He's cool with it because guess what? I'm responsible. I show up. I do the work. I'm informed. I'm not just laying there like, Oh my gosh, I can't do it. And so he's willing to work with me like that. What else? Oh, To have those conversations, Which is another kind of factor, Is really requires clear communication. So you do have to kind of work on what it is you want to say and how you want to say it. And the advice on that one, If you've never done it before, Is to write it down, Go to your doctor and hand them a note. Let them read it. Right? So if you've got something, It's really, Really hard for a lot of people to speak up and say that. I don't have that problem. I've been in healthcare a long time. I've worked around a lot of doctors and it's not my personality, But it's really amazing what a letter can do. Like you just write it all down, You bring it in. I'm like, Hey, I need you to read this. And if they aren't welcoming of that, Then again, You may need to move on because most providers really do want to understand and they want to provide you something that's helpful for you. Okay. What else? You get your power back by remembering your own body and that you have choices and you make choices that are loving to yourself. Right? So it's stepping back. What are the choices? What are the things that you should be doing? So aside from, There's probably stuff inside that you're really frustrated with. Start there, But then think about the things that these are going to give you energy, Things that make you smile. Right? Just smiling makes you have more energy, Right? When you're feeling down just to smile, That helps. Things that you feel help your body, Right? Whether that's food or medicine, Checking your sugar, Things that you know, This is good for me, Right? You're doing it because it's giving back to yourself. Quiet time, Right? Sometimes it's too busy. There's too much, Too many thoughts, Too much processing. And so maybe there's time to go sit like I did today. I sat on my patio, I don't know, 45 minutes. It's nice and I just did nothing, Literally did nothing. Because when you're going all the time, It's exhausting. So sometimes your body needs a rest. And the other thing is sharing your truth. So it takes a lot of energy to keep secrets and put up a game face. Right? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm good. But inside you're just dying. That will suck your power more than anything. Okay, So you are in charge. You are the owner. Set realistic goals. Change the relationship with your doctor. Make an agreement with yourself, Right, Of what you're going to do. And listen, Listen, Listen to what yourself is telling you because it'll tell you what's next. You kind of already know, Right? Right? If you're honest with yourself, You know what the next thing should be. And then you just got to get your brain into, Am I willing to do it? Okay, There you go, Getting power back. So it's all about assuming responsibility, Claiming your authority, Right? Making decisions, Setting the tempo, And managing those relationships. And that really, Really does make a difference. It's not going to happen in one day, Right? Little tiny things over time and it builds your confidence. And so instead of being on this spiral down of failure and oh this sucks and it's hard and all this stuff, You start taking your power back little at a time. I can do this. I am successful. I did it again. I was able to do that. I made this choice. And you build yourself up little tiny bits over time. You'll have good days and bad days, Right? Remember what I said? Life is always in flux. So, You know, What we want to do is we have a good day, We kind of have a bad, We have a better day, You know, And over time things get better. Alright, So let's switch into meditation mode and I'm going to use power as kind of a central focus as we do this. Okay, I'm all tucked up and excited. Let's chillax a little bit. So we're going to gather again. We've got a lot more people with us right now. So I completed the talk. That's what we just went through. The next part is the diabetes meditation and I focus in on the parts of the body that are most impacted by diabetes. And it's a nice way, As I mentioned, To get your body in a state of rest, Repair, Healing. We do enough damage and worry and, You know, Suffering and all that stuff. So we need to balance it with some goodness. So we're going to do some goodness. Okay, So again, Gather. Imagine us all together. We'll kind of recenter and we'll take a deep breath. Alright, So this is the good part. I do all the work. Y'all just sit back and listen. We'll revisit our intention, Which is to take our power back to find our best and biggest strength. Breathe and relax. So at this point, I'm just going to guide you. I want you to relax your shoulders, Relax your jaw, Soften, Lean back in your chair, Close your eyes. Notice the black blackness of nothingness when your eyes are shut. Nothing to do, Nowhere to go, Nowhere to be, Just this time with yourself. Time to find your strength and your power and to bless your body. Before we get started, We'll just do a few affirmations. So in your mind, Repeat after me. I am in charge. I have choices. I am okay. I am breathing. I am in charge. I have choices. I am able. I am capable. I am powerful. I let that wash over you because all those things are very true, Very, Very true. We'll do the guided meditation. As we travel through your body, I'll mention different areas. I want you to unleash your power. Step into your own power and authority over every organ, Tissue, Gland, Bone, Blood vessel in your body. You are the master of your domain. We can do this with peace and relaxation and power simultaneously. Just remember this is your body. It's the only one you have. It's the vehicle for this ride we call life and you are in charge of it. From your deepest inside parts, I want you to ask the healing parts of you that you may not even understand how they work to go to each of the places that we'll address tonight to bring healing if it's needed, To bring relaxation and repair, And to bring restoration and youth. Okay. Turn inward and bring your attention to your heart just beneath your breastbone, The heart that knows your desires. Allow your power to wash over your heart as it beeps steady and strong, Pounding out a rhythm of life for you, Moving blood through your entire body, Communicating with your brain, Powerful, Full, Strong, Intentional. Thank your heart for its power. Give it permission to do everything necessary. You are the authority of your heart. Move your attention to your liver, Which is in the upper right side of your stomach, Just below your rib cage. Your liver is powerfully detoxing your blood, Aiding in the digestion of your food, Making necessary enzymes and components, Filtering and flushing cleanly, Strongly with good blood flow, Doing its work confidently. And as you breathe and relax, Guide all healing to this area of your body. You are in charge and your liver is functioning perfectly. Next, We move to our kidneys. Our kidneys live towards our back, Above our waistline, Beneath our ribs, One on either side. Each of your kidneys now stepping into its power, Pumping up full of blood, Strong blood flow, Cleaning the blood, Filtering out fluids, Removing waste products, Managing healthy and flexible blood pressure, Fully engaged with the authority to do their work. And from your center, You empower this area to be healed, Guiding all healing, Immunization, Blood flow, Nutrition, Oxygen, To repair and rebuild. Your kidneys are powerfully doing their work under your authority. Next, Move your attention to the general area of your abdomen, Where your digestion occurs. Imagine strong, Slow, Steady waves propelling your digestion onward, Calm and smooth, Focused, Diligent, Easily and fully absorbing all nutrition, Painlessly propelling your food through the system. In your digestion, You also have immunity. Your immune system lives there. Imagine your immune products, Full, Complete, Healthy, Fighting to protect you with all their force and might. Also within your digestive tract, With many emotional centers. And from this place deep inside you, Deep inside your belly, I want you to feel your power and your strength, Your courage, Your calmness, Your clarity, All easily emanating from you in your position of power and authority. Just above your belly button, Your pancreas resides tucked back by your stomach. Encourage optimal function of this poor organ who's so picked on by diabetes. It didn't ask for this. It got the brunt of the roommate. But imagine your pancreas puffing up, Stepping forward, Choosing to heal, Doing its very best to bring you all the necessary things that your body needs. Bold and steady secretion when needed of insulin if it's capable of glucagon, Of digestive enzymes. Strong, Powerful, And in charge. Next, Move to your lower extremities. From the inside, Travel down your thighs, Past your knees, Down past your calves, To your ankles and your feet. From inside, Feel the strength of your legs. Feel the stability they provide to your body. See them moving easily and freely, Carrying the body, Walking with a firm, Steady, And direct gait. Feel the powerful legs moving blood down and then all the way back up to your heart. Feel the blood swirling and flowing to every aspect of your feet and toes, Bringing nutrition, Strong healing, Fierce immunity, And repair from every part of your body that can offer this healing. As we travel back up the legs, We'll go back to the upper extremities to our arms, Starting at our shoulders. Take a deep breath and relax your shoulders. Notice how good that feels. Notice if you were tense, Embracing against the world. Relax and let this healing happen. From your arms, On the inside of your shoulders, Travel down through your upper arms, Past your elbows, Through your forearms, Your wrists, And your hands, Powerful hands that provide love and care, Strong hands that create, Make new things, Soft hands when they need to be to offer kindness, Focused hands, Able to do all the jobs we need them to do, Checking blood sugar, Administering medication, Preparing our food, Helping us work out. Our upper extremities, Our arms and our hands are powerful. It's how we interact with the world. It's how we show up. It's how we direct other people, How we show them what we need. We're going to offer gratitude and thanks to our arms for their strength, Their courage, And everything they provide us. Traveling back up the arms to the neck, Their throat, We're powerful here in this area where our voice emanates, Where we speak our truth confidently. Take a breath. Imagine yourself saying that what you need to say, Confidently, Clearly, With conviction. Your voice is another connection to the world. Your core resides in your ability to tell others what you need, What you're willing to do and not willing to do. You have a strong voice that carries your will, It carries your intent, And it communicates to the world that which they need to know. Breathe and notice the air traveling up and down your neck, Past your vocal cords, Swallowing and relax your throat, Knowing that this relaxation is preparing you to be able to speak your truth later. From your neck, Travel up to your brain, This powerhouse that drives you, That synthesizes all the information coming in from every part of your body, Every sensory organ, Every internal organ, Every network, Every neuron, Is all being brought together here. And remember, You are in control of these thoughts. You can notice them, You can choose to dismiss them, You can challenge them. You are strong and you are the authority of your brain. I want you to imagine your brainwaves, Slow, Steady, Coherent, Calm, Providing peace, Wisdom, And easy decisions. In this inner world, You are the authority, You are the owner, You are in charge. And finally, We go to our eyes, The window to your soul. Relax the muscles around your eyes, Relax the muscles between your eyebrows, Soften your forehead. And with your eyes closed, See powerfully and clearly your truth, Your direction, Your needs. See where you want to go and boldly begin walking in that direction with the choices you make. And now take your attention to the center of your head, Behind your eyes, Between your ears, The back of your throat. And once again, Repeat in your mind after me, I am okay. I am in charge. I am powerful. I have choices. I am healing. I am growing. I am in charge of me. Enter in that for a moment. Relax. Let this truth wash over you. Notice what your body is telling you. Recall things that we said tonight that rang true for you. Pay attention. We'll do one more deep breath. And as you exhale, Flutter your eyes open and come back to present, Stepping back into your full power of your body and your life. And thank you so much for joining me and much love to all my diabuddies. Life is good. Life is good. We have choices and every day is a gift. Every day that we're here is still a gift. All right. I'm going to wrap up. Thanks again for joining and I will see you next Monday. I hope you feel pretty well.