Being With Painful Feelings

You have a deep inner well of wisdom and strength you can use to get through all that life brings. Slow down, be still and connect to that part of yourself. You can get through this. This short self-compassion meditation is a reminder to be kind and gentle with yourself in the face of emotional pain. You will get through this.

Transcript

Sometimes life feels incredibly painful with no immediate relief in sight.

You are not being punished.

You haven't done anything wrong.

Pain and disappointment are a part of every person's life at one time or another.

It is normal to feel sad,

Angry,

Anxious,

Or overwhelmed when life gets hard.

Everyone feels this way sometimes.

You are not alone.

You are not going to feel like this always.

Breathe deeply.

Take a moment to notice where your body is making contact with the chair or the floor.

You are safe in this moment.

Take your time.

You deserve your care and compassion.

It is okay to be gentle and patient with yourself.

Now take a moment to notice what is happening inside your body.

Is there tension,

Heaviness,

Or tightness?

Do you notice sensations all over or only in a few parts of your body?

Stay with the sensations for a few moments if that feels okay.

If these sensations feel scary,

Remember that you are safe in this moment.

Feelings are not permanent.

They come and go.

Keep breathing.

Let go of any stories that are building around the sensations.

You might be scaring yourself with stories like,

I can't do this,

Or this is too much,

Or I can't take it anymore.

Try not to panic.

Feelings come and go.

These feelings will pass too.

You might even notice unpleasant ones popping up.

Even during our toughest times,

There are moments,

Sometimes long ones and sometimes short ones,

When we are kind of okay.

Breathe deeply.

Now take a moment to notice if there are any pleasant or neutral sensations happening anywhere in your body.

Is there any place that seems mostly okay?

If so,

Stay there for a moment and just notice how it feels.

You may notice that your shoulders are tense,

But your ears,

Toes,

Or nose feels kind of okay.

If so,

Stay with that pleasant or neutral sensation and keep breathing.

If not,

You may want to offer yourself some compassion in this moment.

Try saying something like,

May I be at ease?

May I give myself the kindness I need?

May I find the peace I deserve?

May I connect to the strength and wisdom inside?

Know that you have only to take one moment at a time.

You don't have to know exactly how everything is going to work out.

Just do your best and get help when you need it.

Sometimes you will need a lot of help and sometimes you won't.

That's okay.

Remember that there is a place inside you filled with the wisdom,

Courage,

And strength you need to help you get from one moment to the next one and then on to the next one.

Breathe deeply throughout the day and connect with that place.

It is in you.

Don't let scary stories or unpleasant sensations trick you into believing anything else.

You have everything you need to get through this,

And get through this is exactly what you will do.

Reviews

Thank you for this. It was exactly what I needed in a difficult moment.

Thank you so much! This soothing, gentle care is what I needed to calm down🫶🏼🫶🏼

Thank you….I don’t even know how many times I have sought this out, specifically playing this track. Thank you, so very much.

Just the calming, soothing balm I needed today. Thank you 🙏🏾

Thank you for this beautiful and positive which was exactly what I needed to help me find the strength to get through another day. This is s a precious and empowering practice for days when we struggle to find the strength we need. Namaste

I don’t often have bad days. But today was definitely one. I’m going into a full Vipassana meditation but did this as a warmup and it was very healing. Thank you so much

beautiful meditation, really useful for this moment in my life ♥️

Love your soothing kind comforting voice and content. Be well dear Barbara.

A helpful, compassionate little meditation that I know I will return to whenever I need it.

Very comforting and compassionate. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely meditation. I felt calm and held while listening to this. Just beautiful, thank you. Namaste 🙏🏽❤️

Thank you for starting my day with me and bringing light! 💫

Excellent effective self compassion practice. It left me feeling refreshed and more hopeful. I loved the soothing voice guidance.

Truly powerful. Like a five minute hug. Honest, empowering and comforting.

SO GOOD, especially if you’re in a very challenging season. 10/10 recommend.

Very calming and reassuring. I will definitely come back to this one <3

Thank you. It helped change my emotional trajectory.

Encouraging words while acknowledging I might feel awful now - which I do. Thank you.

The first day of my 76th year and I found this to be a celebration. Namaste.

A kind voice of compassion. Thank you for this guidance. I'm married 32 yrs and recently discovered my husband had affairs in 2004-2006, and in 2010. I choose love but it's not easy holding painful feelings.

That was perfect and exactly what I needed! Thank you for the acknowledgment and validation