We've been exploring self-talk and the things that we say to ourselves unconsciously a lot of the time that we don't really realize and it's just the same old old old wiring that's someone's voice in our head it might be a parent or a sibling or an or an ex-lover and anyway now it's time to rewire that.
So we're going to do a little practice in rewiring the brain and rewiring negative self-talk because that's not going to get us anywhere and why should we spend the rest of the life listening to a moaning complaining part of ourselves that just keeps bringing us down and there's always something that brings us down it's just that self-worth that self-flagellation so let's let's do something let's something this can be done every day each of these practices i'm giving you can be practiced every single day for the rest of your life it's not just you do one and that's it okay so let's choose a comfortable seat take a minute to feel your feet grounded on the floor your hands and your lap or on your knees and your chin just tucked in slightly we're going to take three deep breaths to calm ourselves down breathing in through the nose and then slowly exhaling out the nostrils and again breathing in through the nose and then release slowly through the nostrils and last one breathing in through the nose open your mouth and gently sigh that breath out let's breathe normally through the nose if we can so maybe we've been feeling some shame that we haven't been brave enough we haven't been strong enough we haven't been our best selves maybe we've been judging ourselves for that but to acknowledge that we've been through a difficult time but being human is not easy so we can imagine a small child imagine you as a small child there's a part of you that is like a small child that is feeling whatever emotion it is that you are feeling and we reach out to that part of us that needs attention and needs love and needs affection needs to be seen needs to be recognized appreciated let's reach out to that part of us and imagine we're reaching out from a wise and compassionate part of us and we can talk to that little child as if we were a wise grandmother or a grandfather or imagine the most compassionate person you've ever known talking to you we can use that same voice in that same tone we can say to that part of ourselves i'm right here little one i'm right here with you i'm not going anywhere i'm going to stay here with you i don't need you to be grown up and i don't need you to be better whatever it is we will face it together breathe into that little child a bit of laugh and a little bit of hope as if you could breathe it in and let that wise compassionate part of you surround the child with your breath like a warm blanket we can say to that part of us i just love you and i'm going to stay with you and you are not alone and there's nothing that you could do or not do that would stop me from loving you so whatever it is we will face it together let your words of love surround your fear embrace the harsh words that we sometimes say to ourselves let's listen to that little child and let's understand what it needs what it wants to hear and perhaps your husband or your wife or your partner or your dad or your mom or your child or your friend they don't know what to say you're longing to hear certain words but no one's saying them well perhaps you are the person that you've been waiting for and we can say it to ourselves we can feed ourselves with healing love i'm right here and when we speak this way to ourselves we increase all the positive chemicals in our brain oxytocin dopamine in fact you can give yourself a hug and just by giving yourself a hug increases oxytocin in your brain i know it seems a bit strange but try it anyway we need all the oxytocin and dopamine and serotonin that we can get why not you deserve a good hug dropping your hands down let's end this practice with a lovely deep inhalation breathing in through the nose and release the out breath just checking in with yourself have you made peace and from a place of peace and acceptance and non-judgment we will then do this for others the more we love and accept ourselves the more we love and accept others too it's got to stop thanks for practicing with me
