Hi,
It's Rebecca here.
I guess you're here because you're having a tough day,
Or you may be caring for someone who's having a really tough day.
And I just want to say that I've been there,
I know what that's like.
Why don't we just begin by taking a few breaths together.
Do it in your own time,
But focus on feeling the air as it comes in your nostrils.
Notice how cool it is as it comes in through your nostrils.
And maybe say something to yourself like,
I'm here in my body,
As you inhale.
And do this slowly.
Take your time,
Slowly inhale,
Pause,
And slowly exhale.
And feel yourself in your body,
Right here,
Right now.
Just you and me.
You see,
All we can ever do is be here and now,
One moment at a time.
And I know how easy it is to get carried away with our thinking,
To feel so anxious and so agitated and breathless and out of control and spiralling.
Last year when I was going through my treatment for breast cancer,
I had many days like that.
When I felt that this was really,
Really hard.
Really hard.
And maybe that's you today.
And you may be going through treatment for an illness.
You may be caring for someone.
You may be feeling anxious.
You may be feeling depressed.
But all we can do right now is to take the next breath.
Maybe place your hand on your heart as you're breathing slowly.
And to feel the beat of your heart,
Like a drum beat.
And notice what that feels like for you.
Without judgement,
Just notice what that's like for you.
One of the things I'd like to ask you,
Which was asked of me many times,
What do you need right now?
What do you need right now?
It might be that you need a cup of tea,
For example.
It might be that you need to have a shower.
It might be that you need a hug.
It might be that you need some tissues.
Or you might need to cry.
Whatever it is,
Can you allow that for yourself?
Whatever it is you need right now,
Can you do that?
And I found that that helped restore something within me.
It took me out of feelings of panic and overwhelm and actually brought me back again into my body,
Asking myself a simple question.
And maybe you'll find that that's helpful for you.
One of the other things that I found really helpful,
And maybe you can do that right now,
Maybe we can do that together right now,
Is to think of a place where you feel at peace.
It could be somewhere within your home.
It could be somewhere out in nature.
And I always think that that's great if you have somewhere that's really special to you.
It could be somewhere local.
It could be somewhere you've been on holiday.
It could be somewhere from childhood.
Think of some place right now.
For me,
That's being by the beach.
And the image that goes along with this audio is that place.
And what I'd like you to do is to close your eyes if that feels comfortable for you to do so.
And take yourself there.
See it in your mind's eye.
And notice what you notice.
Notice what you can see.
Notice what you can hear.
Notice what you can reach out and touch.
Notice what you can smell.
What does that feel like?
And you may not have done anything like this before,
And that's okay.
And you can practice this.
And for me,
I find it deeply comforting that when I feel anxious,
I'll go to this place in my mind.
And I'll take some deep breaths,
Some slow,
Deep breaths.
And I'll feel more settled within myself.
One of the other things that you might like to try,
And I did this last year,
Was to write a letter to myself when I was having a good day.
And to read it when I was having a really tough day.
And I'd like to read it to you because I found it helped me hugely.
And maybe even hearing my words,
The letter I wrote to myself,
Might help you.
So here's what I wrote.
Darling one,
I'm writing this for you to read when you're having a tough day.
However tough it feels for you right now,
I want you to know that you are more resilient than you believe.
I'm writing this on a good day,
And there have been a whole string of them this week.
The chemo is doing its job.
You are healing.
All your body needs is rest and to breathe.
Connect in with your heart.
Allow your mind to quieten.
You are so strong and powerful,
So resilient and vibrant.
Breathe,
My darling,
Breathe and rest.
Slow down.
You are loved.
You are safe.
You can continue to get through this one breath at a time.
We are here together.
Talk to your inner mentors and your guides.
Reach out.
Put your arms around yourself.
Talk to your inner mentors and your guides.
Reach out.
Put your arms around yourself.
Release your fears.
It may help to remember how many people are supporting you,
Believe in you and love you.
And a quote that I love from John Kabat-Zinn.
He says,
Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is and allow yourself to be exactly as you are.
So maybe that's something you could do as well,
If that feels right,
Is to write a letter to yourself so that you've got it and you can read it back when you're having a tough day.
I hope you've found this helpful.
Do leave me a message and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.
Bye for now.
