In this daytime meditation for anxiety,
You will return to the familiar night watch garden during the daytime,
Realizing you can use it not to escape your day,
But to step briefly through its gate to breathe and gather steadiness.
The gardener will help you sort through things,
Then you can return with something useful in your hands to continue your day with peace and clarity.
Welcome to the Whispering Willow.
I am Diana,
And I will guide you through this brief daytime meditation to relieve the feeling of anxiety or overwhelm that causes us to feel out of control.
I'm here to remind you that the garden still exists in daylight.
It is not only a refuge for the nighttime,
It is a place of clarity for the daytime as well.
You are not here to fix the day or escape the day,
You're simply taking a break to re-ground yourself so you can properly deal with your day.
Close your eyes now.
Find a comfortable space to sit,
Remaining upright,
Your feet pressing firmly into the floor.
Rest your hands in your lap and take one deliberate breath,
Breathing in deeply,
Then giving an audible exhale,
Long and steady.
You are standing outside a familiar garden gate,
The same one from the Night Watch Garden.
Allow its familiarity to bring you comfort.
You reach out your hand and touch the gate,
Feeling how its smooth wood is warmed by the sun.
This gate represents a choice you can choose to enter or not.
It is both a boundary and a sanctuary.
You get to decide what it needs to be for you in this moment.
The gate offers permission for you to pause and take a break from the day for just a few moments.
You get to decide.
You are in control.
You step through.
The garden is quiet but awake.
Inside,
You hear the bees buzzing and the distant conversation of various birds.
You hear the familiar trickle of the fountain.
There is a gentle breeze that moves over the leaves ever so slightly now and then.
You see the gardener.
When you were here in the evening,
He worked while you rested.
Today,
He is not tending the garden alone.
You will work with him.
He smiles warmly at you and points to a gardening table that contains three small tools.
You look at the table and see a small lantern symbolizing clarity,
A pair of pruning shears symbolizing discernment,
And a small key symbolizing agency.
You get to decide what tool would best serve you in this moment.
You are in control of this situation.
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
If so,
You can use the shears to trim the things that don't matter,
The things that are getting in the way,
Leaving what's truly important.
Pick one thought that doesn't serve you and gently trim it.
Are you feeling suffocated?
The lantern will illuminate the darkness that surrounds you,
Providing clarity to your situation.
Pick up the lantern and hold it high,
Noticing how the task that you are facing feels somehow clearer and smaller.
Are you feeling out of control?
The key represents your control over the situation.
You are the one who could open or close doors to best suit your needs.
You choose the door.
You hold the key.
You turn the lock.
Imagine something you need to help you right now,
Sitting behind a door.
Then put the key in the lock,
Turn it,
And open that door.
You get to pick which tool you need in this moment,
Knowing you can re-enter the garden at any time and pick another tool if that's what you need.
The garden is always here.
You pick up a tool,
And the gardener looks at you kindly and says you already know how to use this.
Having the tool of your choice in your hands,
You walk back toward the gate.
You can now leave the garden,
Stepping back into your daytime environment.
The gate will always be here,
And you can return anytime.
Remember,
Not everything that's growing needs tending by you.
The gardener continues tending even after you leave,
During the daytime and during the nighttime.
And now you have the tools to tend what you choose to tend.
Roll your shoulders once gently,
Then open your eyes.
You now have what you need to return to your day feeling in control,
Safe,
And confident.
