Hi,
Thanks for being here.
I'm Susan Guttridge and I'll be guiding you through a practice that can help ease worry.
It's also about noticing and working with regret.
And it's about noticing where in your body you hold stress and learning to release it.
As always,
This guided imagery will rely on your imagination.
That's because when we imagine things,
Our body feels it as though it's happening in the present.
Because of this innate ability we have,
I'm going to be guiding the imagery for you.
And since this is a relaxing practice,
I'll be using peaceful and calm imagery.
Please know that it's normal for worry and doubt to creep into our thoughts when we're trying to focus only on our best imagination.
If this happens to you,
Just notice it with a kind acknowledgement.
Perhaps saying to yourself,
There I go again.
And then release the distraction with a slow,
Deep exhale,
Turning your attention back towards my voice and to the words I'm speaking.
Okay,
Let's take a moment to settle in together.
Draw your breath in and exhale out.
Raise your shoulders up slightly and gently release them back down.
Scan through your body with a curious lens,
Noticing any sensations there.
Any tension or tiredness or tightness.
As you scan through your body wherever possible,
Soften and release those bits of tension.
Soften your posture.
Feel your sit bones on the chair or the weight of your body on your bed if you're lying down.
Shift your weight as you need to to arrive in a posture that feels relaxed and comfortable.
If you are listening to this at bedtime,
Pull the sheets or the blankets up,
Get cozy,
And when you're ready,
Let your eyes fall gently closed.
Take another deep breath with me.
Notice the sensation of air at your nostrils as you inhale through your nose.
The warmth of air at your lips as you exhale out through your mouth.
Nice,
Just like that.
And now,
Let's begin.
Picture for a moment that you are standing just out front of your home.
The weather around you is calm,
The neighbourhood quiet and peaceful.
Your feet are planted firmly on the ground.
Picturing yourself standing there,
You notice that you're carrying two very large suitcases,
One in each hand.
They feel so heavy in your grip.
You notice the sensation of your fingers curled around each handle,
The coolness of the plastic handle in your grip,
The leather exterior firm yet soft as it brushes against your legs.
Just like any suitcases,
Their function is to contain items securely for a time,
Usually a time of travel.
The suitcases you are holding are no different,
For they too are containing items securely for you.
Looking down at them now,
You notice one of the suitcase contains worry about the future,
The other regrets about the past.
Each securely contains its contents in your grip.
Nothing is seeping out.
Just noticing the weight of these two suitcases,
One in each hand,
As you picture yourself standing out front of your home.
You turn your attention first to the suitcase in your right hand,
The one that contains future worries.
It feels heavy in your grasp.
A funny thing how we can spend so much time worrying about the future when most of the things we worry about never even happen.
In this life,
We can think about the future as a way to prepare for things coming up,
But when that thinking tips over into worry,
It's no longer useful.
It robs us of energy and contentment in the present.
The notion that worrying about the future as a means of preparing us for it is a falsehood.
We can think and plan and prepare without the agitation and emotional upset that worry creates.
And when we plan for future events in a thoughtful or intentional way,
Far less time gets wasted.
You like the sound of that.
The words have a ring that really resonates with you.
Breathing in and exhaling out.
Now you turn your attention to the suitcase in your left hand,
The one that contains past regrets.
What colour would you give it?
Notice the weight of it in your grip.
It's been hard carrying it around with you all this time.
When you reflect briefly on the contents of the past regrets suitcase,
Notice what emotions stir up inside.
Perhaps sadness,
Maybe powerlessness.
And interestingly,
Perhaps even alongside those heavy emotions,
Your wise intuition is surfacing,
Reminding you that we can't change the past from having happened,
Even though we sometimes wish we could.
Maybe you've been carrying that suitcase around because you thought you had to as a way to remind yourself not to make the same mistakes again.
Know that you have learned with every experience in this life.
We learn and we can use that learning in ways that make us better people.
From all that you have lived through,
You have learned.
You no longer need to be constantly reminded and you certainly don't need to punish yourself anymore for experiences past.
That's actually not how we change or grow and it only serves to take our energy away and make us feel worse.
It deflates us rather than builds us up.
What we can do in the present is learn from the past.
We can make corrections,
We can give apologies,
We can learn new ways of doing things,
New skills,
And we can move forward.
In fact,
It's through our mistakes that we learn and grow and become better versions of ourselves.
You like the sound of that.
The words have a ring to them that resonates with you.
Drawing your breath in,
Fully exhaling out.
Notice how these two suitcases are so heavy in your hands.
It's tiring holding them.
The weight on your arms,
Shoulders,
And pulling at your back as you carry them.
Picture yourself standing there out front of your home and now you realize that you can absorb the wisdom of your reflections.
That carrying around worries about the future and regrets about the past no longer serves you.
Breathing in and exhaling out.
Tapping into that inner wisdom of yours,
You can now clearly see that we humans are sometimes guilty of simultaneously trying to live in three time zones of past,
Present,
And future.
And just as we cannot physically live in three time zones at once,
Nor can we mentally,
With an unwavering belief in yourself,
You make a conscious decision right here,
Right now.
You turn your attention to the future worries suitcase,
Noticing one more time the weight of it.
Tightening your hand with me right now into a fist as you picture yourself holding it.
It's been long enough that you've been carrying it,
That heavy suitcase of worry.
And now you choose to release your grip and the suitcase drops to the floor.
Do that with me now.
Release your tight fist.
Just be present with the sensations there now as your muscles relax throughout.
Drawing your breath in through your nose.
Exhaling out through your mouth.
Turn your attention now to the past regrets suitcase and noticing one more time the weight of it.
Go ahead,
Tighten your left fist as you picture yourself holding it.
You've sure had to hold it tight all this time because it's so heavy.
It's been weighing you down.
And now you choose to release your grip and let the suitcase drop.
Do that with me now.
Release your tight fist and just be present with the sensations there now as all your muscles relax.
Notice the lightness that's there in your body now.
It feels good to not be holding those suitcases.
With relaxed muscles,
Picture yourself walking back into your home empty handed.
Sitting or laying down just where you are right now in this moment.
You feel relaxed like you've just arrived home after a very long trip.
You feel present,
Grounded,
At ease.
Take a deep breath in.
Go exhale out.
You rest comfortably in the awareness that you just need to be in this one moment,
The present.
And that when you are,
You don't have to pick up the suitcase of future worry or past regret.
That when it comes to the time zones of past,
Present and future,
You can only be in the present.
You look over one more time at the suitcases,
Still side by side on the ground.
You feel grounded,
Connected in the here and now.
And from this grounded place,
You know that when you want,
You can review future events so as to plan and prepare yourself for them without worry,
Without fear.
And you know that when you feel ready,
You can look back on past experiences,
But only so as to grow and better yourself,
Never to bully or shame yourself.
From this grounded place,
You know you can look over at the suitcases with kindness in your heart and without the urge to pick them up.
From this peaceful,
Grounded place right here with me,
You realize you've given yourself permission to no longer have them weighing you down.
A soft smile plays on your lips,
A relaxed feeling throughout your body.
Thank you for listening with me today.
If you have the rest of the day ahead of you,
Gently open your eyes now,
Give your fingers and toes a wiggle.
But if you're using this as part of your winding down for sleep routine,
Then please snuggle in deeper to the cozy comfort of your bed.
And goodnight.
