Welcome to this meditation where we will be focusing on stress and how to ease and channel the feelings of stress.
Chances are you're actually feeling quite speedy.
You might feel speedy in your body and almost certainly in your thoughts.
So attempting to slow down too much is unlikely to be helpful.
My invitation to you therefore is to be more focusing on paying attention and observing your experience rather than attempting to try and change it in any way.
The chemicals of stress are designed to make us move.
They are designed to make us take action,
To fight a potential threat or to run away from it.
And so every fiber of your being is likely to be poised for movement.
Attempting to sit still under those conditions can be near enough impossible.
So my invitation to you is to give yourself permission to shuffle,
To fidget,
To move in whatever way feels helpful to you at this point.
Attempting to slow down your physiology,
Attempting to make yourself sit still is likely to be counterproductive.
Because the chemicals of stress are designed for movement,
Trying to stop that in some way is likely to actually escalate them and increase the chemicals of stress in your body.
So for the purpose of this meditation here today,
The focus is more on practicing being with the experience you're having rather than attempting to change it.
We always have thoughts and feelings about our thoughts and feelings.
So it is likely that you will have some thoughts and some feelings about feeling stressed.
My invitation to you is to notice what they are.
They might be fear or judgment.
You might even be wishing that you weren't feeling this way.
That's understandable.
It's an uncomfortable way to feel.
And very few of us relish feeling stressed.
But just for now,
Notice what it would feel like to just sit with the experience you're having,
Naming the physical sensations that you are experiencing.
There may be some tightness in your chest.
You may feel that your shoulders are rolled forward or even up by your ears.
You may feel tension in your stomach,
Restlessness in your legs.
Your breath may be quite shallow.
All of that is understandable.
All of that is appropriate for the body to experience when it is running the chemicals of stress designed to deal with threats.
But in this moment,
For the duration of this meditation,
You don't need to run and you don't need to fight.
With the mindfulness on kindness and bringing in compassion,
Noticing that it's possibly difficult for you to be feeling this stressed.
And so speaking to yourself in terms of kindness.
I am sorry the situation is so stressful.
Or something like,
This is really hard and I understand that this is hard.
Just allowing that self-talk to move through you.
Notice how it lands.
Notice any other self-talk that arises and check whether it feels kind.
Whether it's how you would speak to a loved one.
As much as you're able to,
Shift the language to kindness.
Feelings are always information.
So whatever it is that's driving up your stress levels,
There will be clues.
There will be information.
There will be something there for you to learn.
Taking your time to just be with the experience of feeling stressed.
Almost cradling it,
Supporting it.
Yeah.
Whatever it is that is driving that stress is likely to be scary,
Overwhelming or worrying.
And so bringing in that care.
I'm sorry we're feeling so stressed or afraid or worried.
For now,
We're taking a little bit of time to care for this experience.
And as we do that,
Allowing it to be what it is.
Instead of fighting it or trying to avoid it or numb it.
Something magical can happen.
Yeah.
Often just being with the experience of stress.
Recognising that it's there.
Not judging it.
But bearing witness.
Yeah.
Bearing witness that this is how you are feeling in this moment.
Can open up our breath.
Yeah.
When we open up our breath,
We can actually subtly change the biochemistry in our body.
Which then,
More often than not,
Actually takes the edge of the stress.
Starts to just ease it a little bit.
And that's enough for now.
Yeah.
It's almost like you're sitting next to yourself.
Saying to yourself,
We are in this together.
And maybe bring in a little bit of trust and confidence.
Whatever it is,
We will find our way forward.
Whatever it is,
We know it's information.
And we can get curious about what that information is and what action or insights come out of that.
Yeah.
This is what it feels like to care for your experience of stress.
To listen and recognise the truth of your experience and the reality of what's going on for you.
Yeah.
Give yourself a moment to observe and absorb what this feeling here feels like.
Recognising this gift that you're giving yourself of care and support.
You are here with yourself and for yourself.
Give yourself the recognition for having taken this time to do something different.
To become aware of what was going on.
Bringing yourself to your breath and your body.
And then opening up questions in terms of what does here feel like.
What is the information inside this experience?
And what might be helpful to think,
Do or feel at this point?
And remember,
It's always more helpful to be curious than critical.
Go gently with yourself.
