Hi friend,
If you have found this meditation,
It's because you're not feeling your best at this moment and that's okay.
It is a natural part of the human experience to feel a wide range of emotions including overwhelm and it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you or that you're weak.
In fact,
In the simple act of being here,
You are your own healer,
Your own true teacher.
Dr.
Brené Brown writes that vulnerability is our greatest measure of courage.
So how would you feel about shifting your perspective so that you can begin to feel excited,
Courageous,
And empowered rather than anxious,
Overwhelmed,
And fearful?
Emotions can sometimes feel like they hijack our bodies.
So how about we start with a little bit of breath to regulate the nervous system first.
Remember there are no wrong answers and no wrong way to do this.
We are here to observe and regulate ourselves,
Not judge.
And so starting with a breath,
Begin to notice your abdomen,
Notice your lungs,
Notice your chest.
Which part of your torso is lifting and falling as you breathe in and out?
Where can you start to expand a little more,
To take in more air,
To feel like you're filling up?
And then where can you surrender,
Let go,
Empty out the breath?
While you continue with this breath,
Let me tell you a neat fact.
The human body experiences the emotion anxiety and the emotion excitement as the same thing.
It's our brains that interpret and label these emotions differently.
In other words,
Anxiety and excitement,
They create the same sensations in our bodies but our brain registers them differently.
You don't have to think about this too much or attach yourself to anything I say.
Know that what is meant for you will land and allow the rest to melt into the background.
A situation in your life leads to thinking.
Thinking begins whirling out of control.
Out of control thoughts might become physical sensations in your body but you're here.
Congratulations.
This is a win.
You could have allowed the sensations to become impulsive actions or words that you could never take back but here you are listening,
Breathing,
Growing.
It takes incredible strength and courage to change your mental state in moments like these.
Take a breath,
Acknowledge your effort.
If it feels safe to do so and if you haven't already you might close your eyes here.
Imagine that you could take all of your worries and pick them up with your hands.
You place each worry in a wooden box and you close the lid tight.
Your worries are safe here.
Put them on a shelf and know that you won't need them for the next few minutes and if you must you can take them out of the box at the end of the meditation.
Now with all this free space in your mind do your best to recall a time when you felt great excitement.
Maybe you've just booked a vacation or maybe you're on a vacation.
Perhaps you're excited about seeing an old friend or going to see your favorite band.
Take a few moments here to find and then hold that memory in your mind's eye.
Immerse yourself in this memory.
What do you see here?
What does your environment smell like?
Are there candles?
Is there food?
Can you taste anything from your memory?
What do you hear around you?
What do you feel in your body?
What sensations does this memory induce for you?
Notice any tingling or tightening or pulsing or perhaps even numbness.
Is your heart racing or maybe do you feel like you're crawling out of your skin?
There are no wrong answers,
No wrong way to do this.
We are here to observe ourselves and regulate not judge.
Now with awareness of the feeling of excitement in your body do you notice any similarities to how you felt when you first arrived here today?
Both might bring intense feelings.
Without comparing observe any similarities you might notice.
Remember no wrong answers.
Allow excitement to envelop anxiety until it seems to drift far away.
Start to let all sensations fade as you begin to let go of the memory you had recalled and bring your awareness back into your breath and the rise and fall of your torso.
If excitement and anxiety feel similar in our bodies could we relabel anxiety?
And instead experience it as excitement?
The answer is yes.
You have the power within you to choose to feel excited rather than anxious.
Just as you had the power to choose to come here today rather than let emotions take over.
This comes with time and practice of course.
Language has the power to define our experiences.
If you're somewhere where you're able to please repeat after me otherwise repeat in your head.
I am excited about a changing situation in my life.
My emotions respond to my thoughts.
I choose my thoughts.
I choose my emotions.
My ability to cope is bigger than the environmental demand around me.
By pausing to let myself feel and interpret what I feel I make better future decisions.
I release expectations of outcome.
I release attachment to false stories.
I embrace uncertainty.
I am fearless to face my situation head-on.
Vulnerability is courage.
I embrace vulnerability.
I show up and I'm all-in especially when I don't feel in control.
As Buddha says,
All that we are is the result of all that we have thought.
Namaste.
