Hello there.
I'm Lucero,
And I'd like to welcome you to join me in a practice especially for when you're feeling stressed.
We all know stress doesn't feel good,
But what is it anyway?
Stress is your mind and body's reaction to a challenge.
Your brain and your body work together to keep you safe.
The stress response is your brain and body's way of letting you know you're experiencing a challenge or a demand.
Stress makes you feel tense,
Nervous,
Or upset.
It's normal to feel stress when you're being challenged.
But sometimes,
Even when the challenge has passed,
We get stuck in the stress response.
This practice helps you relax your mind and body,
Get clear about where the stress is coming from,
And let it go.
Let's get started.
You can lie down to feel more relaxed,
Or you can sit comfortably.
Go ahead and settle into your body.
Take a moment to stretch and move around until you feel comfortable enough to be mostly still for the next few minutes.
Now,
Close your eyes,
Take a deep breath in,
And exhale with a long,
Deep sigh,
Like this.
As you sigh out your breath,
Feel your whole body relax from head to toe.
See if you can let all the air out before you breathe in again.
Take another deep breath and sigh it out.
One more time,
Nice and slow.
Let your breathing go back to normal.
Just notice what it feels like to breathe in and out,
And in and out.
Relax and let go.
Even without trying,
Can you feel your breath get a little slower and deeper as you focus on it?
Now,
We're going to do a little exploration of the stress you've been feeling.
First,
We're just going to observe it.
Then,
We'll see if it's trying to tell you something.
Once you've got the message,
We'll practice letting it go.
Keep breathing.
As you breathe in and out,
Notice how your body feels right now.
Can you feel the stress anywhere in your body?
Do you feel tense or tight or sore?
Do you feel it in your stomach,
Your chest,
Your shoulders,
Or somewhere else?
Just notice what you feel and keep breathing.
Now,
Notice what's happening in your mind.
Are there any stressful thoughts?
Is your mind racing or jumping around,
Moving fast?
Or does it feel slow,
Maybe even stuck?
What about your emotions?
Does the stress show up as worry or fear or anger or sadness or any other feelings that you can identify?
Remember that stress is your mind and body's way of letting you know that you're being challenged in some way.
It could be a very little challenge.
Then,
You'll probably feel just a little bit of stress.
A big challenge creates a lot of stressful thoughts and feelings.
And sometimes,
A lot of little challenges that happen all at once or go on for a long time can make you feel a lot of stress too.
When you breathe out,
Let go of the tension,
Anxious thoughts,
Or whatever it is you're feeling.
Breathe it out.
Feel yourself relaxing more deeply.
Keep breathing.
Now,
Think about those stressful thoughts and feelings as messages.
What is the stress trying to tell you?
Where are you facing challenges right now?
Just listen to the messages from your mind and body.
You don't have to figure it all out right now.
Sometimes it takes a little while for the messages to become clear.
There's no hurry.
Sometimes you just need to take a break,
Rest,
And breathe to start to feel better.
This little pause lets your brain and body know that you're paying attention,
That you're taking care of yourself.
When you feel ready,
Ask yourself,
Is there something you need that will support you?
Someone you can reach out to?
An action you can do that will help you meet this challenge?
Your body,
Mind,
And emotions are wise and strong.
Somewhere inside you,
You'll find the message in all those thoughts and feelings.
Remember,
It's okay if it's not clear right away.
You can keep breathing and keep listening for as long as you need to.
Sometimes just being kind to yourself like this starts to dissolve stressful thoughts and feelings.
Take all the time you need.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
Let go.
Imagine that you're breathing out all of the stress you've been feeling.
You might take a few more big,
Deep breaths and sigh it out again,
Releasing the stress,
Relaxing your body,
And clearing your mind of any anxious thoughts.
Do that as many times as you need to.
How are you feeling right now?
Notice if anything has changed in your body,
Mind,
And emotions.
Are you feeling less stressed?
More peaceful?
I hope so.
Do you see more clearly where the stress is coming from?
Do you see more clearly how you can handle challenges and let go of stress?
Remember,
You are wise and strong and brave.
You have everything you need inside you to meet your challenges head on.
You've got this.
And I'm always here to remind you.
You can come back and do this practice with me anytime you need to.
Now,
Take a big,
Deep breath in and let it out.
Start to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Let your body stretch in any way it wants to.
Take your time.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me.
It's wonderful to be on this journey with you,
And I look forward to being with you next time.
Goodbye.
