When I'm triggered,
The last thing I usually want to hear is someone telling me to take deep breaths,
But each time I hate it,
But it works.
It helps me to calm down and to get back into my body when I'm somewhere else.
So let's activate our parasympathetic nervous system,
Slow our bodies down,
And control our stress responses.
So take a deep breath in,
Take as much air as you can in,
Now fully exhale,
Releasing out all the air.
And let's take another deep breath in,
Just slowing it down as much as you're comfortable doing right now.
Now let it all out.
Very good.
Now breathe in a little bit slower and a little bit deeper.
Now exhale just as deeply and just as slowly.
Don't worry about calming yourself down,
Just focus on your breath.
Let's take another deep breath in,
Really making sure that you're filling up your belly.
As you breathe out,
I want you to affirm,
I am safe in my body.
Repeat this affirmation again.
I am safe in my body.
Let's say it one more time.
I am safe in my body.
Very good.
Keep breathing.
Now gently bring your attention to where you feel triggered the most in your body.
I want you to start from your head,
Making your way all the way down to your feet,
To the bottom of your feet,
And just find where you feel the most tension,
The most trauma,
If that's the case.
Whatever word you would use to describe this feeling,
Identify where it's sitting in your body.
It might be your stomach,
Your back,
Your neck.
Just scan your entire body and notice where it is.
Wherever it is,
Once you notice it,
Just lock in with that part of your body for a moment.
And you don't need to change anything,
Just give it your attention.
Observe it without judging.
And I want you to affirm,
It is safe to not judge myself when I am triggered.
Let's say it again.
It is safe to not judge myself when I am triggered.
Let's say it one more time.
It is safe to not judge myself when I am triggered.
You don't have to control the feeling,
Just control your breath.
Now breathe in for three seconds,
And we're going to breathe out for five seconds,
And we're going to do it twice together.
And we're going to breathe out for five seconds,
And we're going to do it twice together.
So breathe in for three,
Two,
One.
Very good.
Now breathe out for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Let's do that again.
Breathing in for one,
Two,
And three.
And exhale for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Very good.
Affirm that I am safe in this moment.
I am safe in my body.
And I want you to say it three times,
Letting your breath sink this affirmation deeper into your body.
I am safe in this moment.
I am safe in my body.
And I want you to know that it is okay if this feeling still lingers,
If you still feel a little triggered.
Getting through triggers isn't just about changing how you feel.
It's also about getting through it with your mind and your body together.
This is a moment that you can practice sitting with your feelings and nurturing your nervous system.
You're learning,
And you're doing a great job,
And your connection to yourself is a safe one.
Let the sound of your breath be a reminder from God that you're still here,
And that you're capable of moving through this moment with compassion and with love for yourself,
With gentleness for yourself.
Let's take a few more breaths.
Let's take a deep breath in,
Filling up your entire lungs,
Filling up your entire belly.
And when you're full,
Exhale just as deeply,
And feel some of that tension and that trigger spot loosening up as you breathe out.
And with each breath,
I want you to imagine your body getting a little heavier,
A little more connected to the ground,
To the surface that you're sitting on.
Let your breath move you the way you are.
I want you to affirm that I love my complex self.
I am steady,
I am safe,
And I am here.
And I am here.
I love my complex self.
I am steady,
I am safe,
And I am here.
Take a deep breath in,
Hold it,
Hold it,
Hold it.
Now I am going to pray.
If you are not comfortable with prayer,
This would be a good time to stop this meditation,
And I thank you for listening.
But if you are cool with prayer,
Close your eyes.
God,
I thank you for this moment where we get to bring ourselves to calm,
Bring ourselves to peace,
Bring ourselves to clarity,
And just bring ourselves back to a place of connection,
Bring ourselves back to a place of connectedness with our bodies.
Living with memories and trauma and experiences can have us having so many moments where we don't know if we're here or there,
Yesterday or today,
10 years ago or tomorrow.
But I know that using our breath,
Using our community,
Using the people around us,
You can bring us to a space of grounding,
A space of safety,
A space of connectedness with our body,
Of connectedness with our spirit,
Of connectedness with our destiny.
Being triggered can make us feel like the world is so big and so small at the same time,
Like we are stuck in a box and in an open field all alone at the same time.
I pray that you come in,
In those moments where we are triggered,
And you just help us to feel loved.
You help us to feel like humans.
You remind us that our worst or our most dramatic or our most uncomfortable and inconvenient mental health moments do not define our worth,
And they do not make us less valuable.
I pray that you give us the grace to allow ourselves to experience these moments with compassion.
That we experience these moments without judging ourselves,
Because you don't judge us when we have these moments.
You don't judge us when we need mental health support,
When we need a mental health professional,
Or we need more support than the average person.
So we shouldn't judge ourselves.
Help me to release the shame around struggling with my mental health.
Help me to release the shame around being triggered,
About not having moved on already.
Help me to release shame.
And I pray that wherever you can,
You take this pain,
These memories,
This trauma,
Whatever it is,
Causing me,
Causing the listener to be triggered away.
There are some things that are too heavy for us to carry,
And sometimes we don't even know that.
So I pray that in those things,
You pick them up.
You lighten the load.
You make a way for us to be at peace in the moments when all we see is chaos.
I thank you for all of this.
I thank you for all of this.
I thank you for all of this.
I thank you for my healing.
I thank you for my restoration.
I thank you for my transformation.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
Thank you for listening,
And I hope that this meditation brought you some peace,
Some grounding.
And like I said,
It is okay to be triggered.
It is okay to be back where you thought you healed from.
Healing is not linear,
And you don't have to be perfect,
And you don't have to be a robot that moves along,
Moves on in some time schedule that you set in your head or that somebody else set for you.
You are deserving of grace,
And I hope you got what you needed.
