Welcome.
You've come here after a difficult conversation or perhaps before one that you're particularly not looking forward to.
Give yourself these next few minutes.
You won't need to analyse the other person.
And you won't need to work out exactly what you should have said.
And you don't need to change how you're feeling.
For now.
You're simply and gently stepping out of that interaction.
And coming back to yourself.
Find yourself a comfortable position.
Whatever feels best for you.
If you're at work,
You can do this sitting exactly where you are.
Allow your feet to meet the floor if that's available to you.
And either gently close your eyes if you feel comfortable and safe to do so,
Or gently soften your gaze.
Perhaps pick an object in the room.
Begin by noticing your body.
After a challenging discussion,
You might notice tension somewhere.
Perhaps in your jaw.
Your shoulders.
Your chest.
Your stomach.
Or maybe your hands.
There's nothing you need to force yourself to release.
Just simply notice.
We'll take a cleansing deep breath here.
Breathe in through your nose.
Pause for a second as you reach the top.
And exhale with a gentle sigh out through your mouth.
Let's do two more of those.
Inhaling through your nose,
Reaching the top.
And out to the gentle side.
In through your nose.
Reaching the top.
And out with a sigh.
Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
You may notice your mind returning to what happened.
Replaying something that they said.
Imagining what you could have said or done differently.
Or anticipating what might happen next.
And if so,
Gently notice.
My mind has gone back to the conversation.
And then come back here.
Come back to your feet against the ground.
To the support beneath you.
Perhaps that's your chair.
Or the ground.
Come back to your breath.
You may not be able to control how the other person communicates.
You can't always control their reactions.
Their tone,
Their choices,
Or their behavior.
But right now,
You can give yourself a little space from it.
If your mind wanders,
That's perfectly okay.
Completely human.
Just bring your awareness and attention back to your breath.
Feel your feet meeting the ground Let your shoulders soften if they can.
Allow gravity to do its job and let your shoulders go heavy and come away from your ears.
Let go of any grip with your hands.
Allow them to become soft.
Allow your jaw to loosen.
Bring your tongue away from the roof of your mouth.
Gently remind yourself.
That their behaviour doesn't have to occupy every part of this moment.
You can come back to yourself.
And you can choose how you meet the next moment.
You don't have to force yourself to feel positive about the situation.
You don't need to excuse anything that didn't feel okay.
You're simply allowing your body and your mind a few moments away from it.
Imagine creating just a little more space between yourself and what has happened Not pushing it away,
But simply remembering that this interaction is one part of your day and it isn't the whole of you.
With your gaze still softened or your eyes still gently closed.
Bring your awareness and notice the space around you Maybe your gaze is softened around a particular colour.
Or maybe you can hear a sound coming from the room.
Or you're sensing and feeling the ground beneath you.
Let's take one more of those gentle but deep breaths together.
Inhaling through your nose.
Reaching the top.
And exhaling with a sigh.
Allowing your breath to come back to its natural rhythm.
As you return to your day,
Please remember.
That you can't always choose how other people show up.
That you can pause and you can come back to yourself.
And you can choose how you'd like to meet whatever comes next.
When you feel ready,
Completely in your own time.
Gently flutter open your eyes.
Or bring your attention back to the room.
Sending you the biggest hug and all of my love.
Thank you for meditating with me.
