Hello,
I'm Stephen Webb and welcome to Inner Peace Meditations.
This is a short one for when anxiety has shown up and you need that little space to be able to deal with it before moving on.
So find a place to sit,
You can be on a bus,
In a car park,
At your desk,
Anywhere will do and if it's safe to let your eyes close or just soften your gaze.
And just become aware of your breath,
You don't need to do anything with it.
Your body knows how to breathe,
Especially knows how to breathe when you're going through things.
It's been doing it for a long time without you getting involved.
And now just notice the weight of you,
Wherever you are,
The chair,
The seat,
The floor,
Something is holding you up.
And maybe just allow your shoulders to drop just an inch or so.
Whatever it is in them,
You don't have to carry it for these few minutes.
You have permission to be distracted,
When your mind wanders,
That's fine,
Just come back.
Now the anxiety,
It's there,
You know it is,
That's why you breath play.
You don't have to fix it,
You don't have to push it away,
Just notice it's here.
And in your own unique quiet way,
Just say hello to it.
Hello anxiety,
You're here.
And notice what happens when you greet it instead of fighting it.
Maybe nothing,
Maybe a tiny softening,
Just notice.
And now ask it very gently,
Why are you here?
You're not demanding an answer,
You're just asking.
Like you'd ask a friend who turned up at the door looking pale,
What's going on?
What brought you?
And just listen,
You don't have to think the answer.
Sometimes anxiety speaks in a sentence,
Sometimes in a feeling,
Sometimes in a memory,
Sometimes it doesn't speak at all,
It just sits with you,
That's okay.
Whatever it offers,
Just receive it.
You're not its enemy,
You're the one who answered the door.
Maybe you're the one that it's looking out for.
And just be aware of your breath,
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out relax.
And if it helps,
This may be another question you can ask.
What would you like from me right now?
Maybe it just needs to be heard.
Maybe it needs to know you'll keep going.
Maybe it needs to sit beside you for a moment longer.
Maybe it doesn't know,
There's no wrong answer.
You are not the anxiety,
You are the one noticing the anxiety.
You are the witness,
The listener,
The one who answered the door.
And maybe just placing your hand on your heart if it feels right.
And just say these things in your head or just feel them throughout your body.
May I be peaceful.
May I be safe.
May I trust this moment.
And just feel in that throughout your body what it's like to live from that place now.
May I be peaceful.
May I be safe.
May I trust this moment.
Notice the room around you,
The sounds,
The air on your skin.
Two,
A slightly deeper breath.
Wiggle your fingers and toes if you like.
One,
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
And look at whatever is in front of you.
And you can come back to this any time.
Just a simple hello and recognizing that you're not the anxiety.
You're the one that's opening the door to it.
You're the adult in the room,
So to speak.
Be kind to yourself.
Thank you for your support on Insight Timer.
It's always appreciated.
And remember,
You can come back as often as you like whenever you're feeling a little bit anxious or a little bit weary.
Take care.
Bye for now.
