Resting With PMDD- Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder

I wonder if you can get yourself into bed,

Or laying in a position that you would experience complete rest.

Surround yourself with soft cushions and pillows,

And cover yourself up with a soft,

Cosy blanket or a big,

Fluffy duvet.

And although you can sit upright in a meditation pose if you like,

This meditation is dedicated to resting back,

And also to resting at the end,

Once this meditation has finished.

To snuggle yourself down,

Get into a position of complete,

Total and utter respite,

And I shall begin.

This meditation is dedicated to women who suffer from PMDD.

It is one of those illnesses that is rarely seen or heard of,

But an illness that can truly strip you of mental and physical wellness.

It is an illness that you are simply expected to get on with,

With little or no support.

Sometimes it can take years and years for a diagnosis,

And that is only if one arrives.

Diagnosis or not,

You are left feeling as though you are losing it,

And in times,

Yourself becomes unrecognisable.

You can feel so far away from who you are,

That you don't know how to get back.

The truth is that this is not who you are.

This isn't you,

And I'm so sorry that you are struggling,

That you are hurting mind,

Body and soul.

PMDD can take everything from you,

For much of the month.

It can strip you of all emotional reasoning and stability.

You can feel drained,

Exhausted,

As though you are dragging your whole life along,

All while feeling invisible,

When what you need is rest and recognition.

And sometimes it's really hard to give yourself permission to let go of your life's expectations,

Of life's demands and daily routines.

You can feel guilty,

You don't want to be seen to not be coping,

Because who's going to do it if you don't?

In times,

It can take you by surprise.

You can be doing great,

You feel good,

But then all of a sudden the feelings arrive and life once again becomes hard,

And you are consumed with negative feelings and thoughts.

I know.

But right now,

Give yourself permission to let go of the guilt,

Let go of trying to keep going against everything your body is telling you.

And if you can't let go of it,

Take it from me.

Permission to rest and recover,

Granted.

Take a deep breath.

Stretch your body or move position,

This is your time,

And this is all about you taking back your life and health as your priority.

So breathe well,

See yourself,

You are not wrong,

You are not making it up or exaggerating,

You are unwell,

And you matter.

Your life and your health matters,

It does.

You really do matter.

And as you gently rest and as you sink down into relaxation and into your pillows of comfort,

I wonder if you can create yourself a place of such beauty in your imagination.

And if you can't,

Simply just listen to my words,

And let me take you there.

Imagine that surrounding you in your most comfortable position is the fresh aroma of orange and lemon trees,

The gentle freshness like nothing else,

Which passes over you like a great smooth ocean breeze.

It's light and as you inhale your lungs are filled with a lightness like no other.

You are lightness.

Upon your skin the temperature perfection.

It is all you need and what you need is offered.

You are perfection and perfection is you.

Allow what you need.

Above you the sky a shade of blue Aegean.

So deep and fast.

So pure and clear,

The world above you unknown.

A space of thoughts of images and dreams.

But below the deep Aegean sky the ocean.

Reflecting back the same color,

Making the horizon almost elusive.

The ocean smooth and calm.

The sun's reflection casting a million shimmers upon the surface.

And you just watch as nature just is.

Nature is how it chooses to be.

It offers itself what it needs,

No questions.

Just an offering of self-dedication.

Offer yourself what you need.

Only you know what that is.

And right here and right now there is nothing for you to do but stop,

Rest and heal.

And you can either listen to my words or you can allow your mind to wonder where it will.

In this beautiful place that you are creating from memory or from within your imagination.

And as you rest and relax your body is delivering you messages.

Guiding you to hear it speaking,

To hear its encouragement,

To hear its love.

Your body is so clearly speaking to you,

It's telling you what you need.

But you do not always listen.

You may hear but you do not listen.

It is time to listen to your body.

It is time to listen to your answers.

So rest and sink down deep into your own love.

Into your own space,

Into your own self-care and your own recognition.

So how do you listen when for all of your life you have learned to ignore?

How do you reconnect with yourself when you feel so far away?

The first step is acceptance of where you are.

It's acceptance of feeling unwell.

Recognizing your symptoms and addressing them in the healthiest way for you.

When I look back before my diagnosis I wonder what I needed.

I needed someone to see me,

Someone to witness my struggle but no one did.

No one saw me.

So I had to see myself.

I see you.

I see your struggle and it matters.

You matter more than anyone in your world.

And in your first step for you see yourself.

See your sweet,

Sweet self calling for recognition and love.

Your body needs rest and acceptance.

Accept the rest and the time for healing.

Welcome it within you.

Welcome it home.

Within your paws a rest.

So profound that it could take you deep into your universe.

And as you sink into the depth of your soul a healing.

A healing so restful that you begin to feel like you float on air.

Softly sinking like a feather floating down.

Your mind reconnecting with your heart.

It's hearing you speak it's words of need.

Your body coming back together.

Listening,

Hearing that's it.

Come back.

Come back it's okay.

You will be there and you will be okay.

It's time to feel well.

To feel a priority within your own world.

Let go of the day.

Let go of the week.

Let go of the year and feel yourself drifting into a beautiful,

Deep and comfortable slumber.

Where the flowers are fresh,

Where the sky is blue,

Where the ocean is deep and where you are you.

Take yourself to a place where the grass is green,

Where the birds sing bright,

Where the sun beams through the new tree branches.

Where the daisies are tall and the buttercups shine.

Take yourself to a place deep inside where you hear what you need,

Where rest is natural and where love is yours.

Stay where you are and rest.

Good night.