Welcome,
I'm Teresa.
And I'm really glad you're here with me today.
If you've chosen this meditation.
I'm guessing things might feel like a little too much right now.
Maybe your mind feels busy.
Maybe your body feels tense.
Maybe everything around you seems just a little louder.
A little brighter.
A little faster than you'd like… or maybe you can't even explain why you're overwhelmed.
You just know that everything feels like too much.
And if that's where you are.
I want you to know something.
You don't have to explain yourself.
You don't have to justify it.
You don't have to convince yourself that things are bad enough before you're allowed to rest.
You're already here,
And that's enough.
Let's start with a slow,
Comfortable breath.
Not to change anything.
Just to notice that you're here breathing.
Now,
If it feels okay,
Letting your eyes soften.
Or close them if that feels comfortable.
Notice where your body is making contact with whatever is supporting you.
The chair.
The bed.
The floor.
You don't have to hold yourself quite so tightly for these next few minutes together.
Sometimes overwhelm doesn't happen because we're weak.
It happens because our nervous system has simply received more information.
More stimulation.
More responsibility.
More emotion.
Then it can comfortably process all at once.
Imagine trying to listen to 10 conversations at the same time.
Eventually,
It becomes too difficult to hear any one voice clearly.
Our nervous system can feel the same way.
Nothing is necessarily wrong.
There is simply too much information coming in.
So for these next few minutes,
We're not going to solve anything.
We're simply going to reduce the input.
You don't need to make any decisions right now.
You don't need to figure anything out.
Nothing needs your attention for the next little while.
If it feels okay.
I invite you to imagine yourself standing next to a gentle stream.
Here are leaves floating on the surface of the water.
Each leaf carries one thing that's asking for your attention.
The email.
A conversation.
The laundry.
The appointment.
The uncertainty.
The dishes.
The future.
And one by one,
You simply notice them.
You don't chase them.
You don't organize them.
You don't even need them to disappear.
You simply watch them drift by.
There they are.
Still existing.
Still important.
Just not asking to be solved in this exact moment.
Now bring your awareness back into your body.
Notice your forehead.
If there's effort there,
See if it can soften by just one percent.
Notice your eyes.
Your jaw.
Maybe they've been working very hard today.
Invite them to rest.
Not because they have to.
But because they can.
Notice your shoulders.
Have they slowly crept toward your ears?
Without forcing.
Allow gravity to do a little more of the work.
Notice your hands.
Your belly.
Your hips.
Relax.
There may still be tension.
That's okay.
Or simply letting your body know.
It doesn't have to grip quite so tightly.
If sounds around you catch your attention,
That's okay too.
Rather than resisting them.
Simply notice.
There is hearing.
Nothing more is required.
If thoughts appear.
There is thinking.
If emotions arise.
There is feeling.
You don't have to become every experience your nervous system notices.
You can simply observe.
Now I'd like to offer you something that has helped me many times.
When everything feels like too much.
I gently ask myself.
What is one thing I can stop carrying just for the next five minutes?
Not forever.
Just for now.
Maybe it's trying to have all the answers.
Maybe it's trying to be productive.
Maybe it's trying to make everyone else comfortable.
Maybe it's trying to keep going when I'm exhausted.
See if one burden comes to mind.
And if it does,
Imagine setting it down beside you.
Not throwing it away.
And not pretending it doesn't exist.
Simply allowing yourself a brief rest from carrying it.
Take another slow breath.
And notice whether anything inside you feels even one or two percent softer.
If the answer is yes,
That's beautiful.
If the answer is no,
That's okay too.
Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer ourselves is simply stopping long enough to notice that we're overwhelmed.
Awareness itself is a form of care.
As we begin to close.
Place one hand somewhere that feels comforting for you.
Maybe your chest.
Your belly.
Your arms.
And quietly repeat after me if you'd like.
I don't have to do everything right now.
I don't have to solve everything today.
My nervous system is allowed to need less.
I am allowed to pause.
I am allowed to begin again gently.
Let's take one final breath together.
And as you return to your day.
See if you can carry one thing a little more lightly not because your life has changed.
But because for a few moments you remembered that you don't have to carry all of it all at once.
You Thank you for spending this time with me.
Take gentle care of yourself.
And as you return to your day,
Remember as always,
You are loved.
You are whole.
You are enough.
