Welcome,
My dear friend.
Today's meditation is for anyone who struggles with intrusive thoughts.
And this one is a personal one to me,
I want to start by saying something that I wish I had heard more when I was an adolescent,
When I was younger,
And this is that you are not your thoughts,
Especially the uncomfortable ones.
Those thoughts do not define you.
They don't say anything about your self-worth,
Your value,
Or who you are.
They are just thoughts.
Just like clouds drifting across the sky,
They can simply just pass by without you becoming engaged in them.
So let's take a deep breath in together.
Now find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and gently close your eyes.
Let's start with a slow breath in through the nose.
Once more,
Breathe in deeply and exhale softly.
Feel your body starting to settle and know that there's no need to control anything in this moment.
Just allow yourself to breathe and just allow yourself to be.
Still another deep breath in through the nose.
Now begin to notice your mind like you're watching it from a little distance.
Maybe find that thoughts are already moving through.
Random ones,
Repetitive ones,
Strange ones,
And that's okay.
You do not need to chase them and you do not need to fight them.
Let them come.
Now,
Speaking from personal experience,
I know that sometimes a thought can pop up in your head and feel so wrong,
So strange,
Or even so scary.
And your first instinct might be to think,
Why did I think that?
What does that mean about me?
Or how could I think that about this situation or this person?
But,
And I want this to sink in for you because I wish I had heard this earlier,
This is the truth.
These thoughts do not mean anything.
The brain is just doing what it does,
Producing thoughts.
Some thoughts are going to be helpful,
Some thoughts are going to be neutral,
And some thoughts are going to be random,
Weird,
And even uncomfortable.
There's no need for you to figure them out.
There's no need for you to stop them.
Just see them,
Observe them,
And let them pass.
The less attention that you give these thoughts,
The less power they have.
Simple breath in,
Observe the thoughts,
And as you exhale,
Release the thoughts.
Now,
Let's try a simple visualization.
Imagine you're sitting beside a train track,
And each thought you have in your head is a train that passes by.
Some of these trains look normal,
Some of these trains are odd,
Weird,
Some of these trains are loud,
And some are quiet.
And every time a train arrives,
Just simply notice it.
You don't hop on,
You find no need to argue with it,
You just let it pass.
Watch as these trains roll in,
And observe as these trains roll out.
Breathe,
Observe,
And let it go.
Now,
You have no reason to chase every thought,
And you can stay right here in this moment.
Take another deep breath in,
Let your shoulders drop,
And as you exhale,
Release the thoughts.
Relax your jaw.
Now,
Offer these words gently to yourself.
These are just thoughts.
They are not who I am.
These thoughts do not define me.
I can let these thoughts pass,
And begin to slowly come back to your body.
Feel the ground beneath you,
Feel the air around you.
Your skin.
Allow yourself to rest in this calm that you've just created.
And you may still have some more thoughts,
But that's okay.
Now you know and you are equipped with how to meet them,
And how to deal with them.
With awareness,
With peace,
And with space.
Take one last deep breath in,
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Know that you are not your thoughts.
Know that you are loved.
Thank you for meditating with me,
El Shaddai.
