Hello,
My name is Annabelle.
And today we are going to be learning how to be kind to ourselves.
This may sound like something you should have learned in preschool,
But it's something that we often struggle with still.
So often we have empathy for other people,
And we give them kindness we don't extend to ourselves.
Even if it's the exact same circumstances.
So often we're the first to beat ourselves up,
To say we should know better.
But the truth is,
You're human.
You're never going to be perfect.
And that's okay.
You are still so lovable,
And so kind.
So in this meditation,
We are going to find out what our internal voice says,
And just start to listen to it.
We're going to go through a range of visualizations,
And so you can hear what you are saying to yourself,
And then start to rephrase it.
Because once we understand where we are,
We can make appropriate change.
So firstly,
Take a deep breath.
Breathing in and out.
Feeling all the tension in your neck and your shoulders start to release with your exhale.
Knowing there is nothing you need to do right now.
Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth,
And if it feels safe,
Start to close your eyes.
And just focus on your breath.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
Now I want you to remember the last time that you made a mistake.
Might be at work,
Might be in a relationship.
But think back to that moment.
Notice how your body is feeling.
Is there more tension,
Discomfort,
And if so,
Where in the body is it?
And I want you to just breathe into that area.
Knowing that everything is okay now,
And that there is nothing you can do to change the past.
And I want you to go back and remember when that mistake was made.
How were you thinking?
Were you thinking,
It's okay,
I'm human,
Everyone makes mistakes,
And I'm going to do what I can to fix it.
Or were you mean to yourself,
Harsh to yourself,
And lacked empathy.
And now,
In that exact same situation,
I want you to imagine a friend of yours,
Who you love so dearly,
Came and told you they made that mistake.
How would you speak to them?
Would it be with the same harshness and bitterness you may have spoken to yourself?
Would you have spoken differently?
With more empathy and more love?
Would you still see that they are worthy of love and acceptance,
Even though they made a mistake?
Now I want you to imagine looking in the mirror,
And seeing your amazing,
Stunning,
Glowing reflection looking back at you.
What are your first thoughts?
Do you immediately go to the places of your body that you wish would change?
Or do you see the sparkle in your eye,
The smile on your face first?
Can you think of three beautiful things about you?
Now taking one deep breath,
I want you to imagine in the future,
That you made a mistake.
That you hurt someone that you love.
And you had no intention to do so.
Then I want you to think of three kind things you can say to yourself.
Maybe it's repairable.
I know my intention was good.
I am willing to put the effort in to fix this.
What else?
Remember you are the only one who's going to be with you every moment of every day,
For the rest of your life.
Learning to speak kindly and to have empathy is one of the most important things.
Remember you are not your thoughts.
We judge others by their actions and ourselves by everything we experience.
You are so loved and so appreciated.
You are so worthy and so admired.
Let's take a final deep breath together.
Breathing in and breathing out,
I hope you have an amazing day.
