Have you ever felt that life was going along really well and you felt really happy?
Then something stressful or unexpected happened and you suddenly found yourself feeling anxious and worried about the future.
This experience is very common to many of us.
And often our brains can switch from happiness to anxiety very quickly.
As we have evolved as humans,
Our brains have become biased to think more negatively than positively.
This is because in the past it helped us to survive by protecting us from dangers.
Now this negativity bias can feel exhausting and hard to control.
The good news is we can learn to control the negative,
Anxious,
Racing thoughts through mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness allows us to notice what we are feeling without judgment and then breathe into it with kindness.
So let's do a short meditation exercise helping you to notice anxious thoughts and calm them with kindness and awareness.
Find a quiet space where you won't be disturbed for as long as you need.
Get yourself comfortable on a meditation cushion or chair.
Begin to notice the feeling of your body gently pressing into the cushion or chair.
Pause the recording to get really comfy if you need.
Start to notice your breathing,
Allowing it to become softer,
Slower,
Gently if you can.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Just breathing into them for a moment.
Let your tongue sit gently in the bottom palate of your mouth.
Allow your throat to soften.
And allow your tummy to soften.
Now bring to mind something that has been worrying you lately.
Not a huge,
Traumatic worry,
But something smaller with a moderate charge.
It could be a worry about your child at school,
Your elderly parents,
Or a colleague or boss at work being critical of you.
These are the worries of humans everywhere.
Notice the worry and just allow it to be there for a minute without pushing it away and without trying to solve it.
Gently and with kindness drop down into your body and notice where you feel the worry.
It could be a feeling of tightness in your jaw,
Your neck or shoulders,
Your heart area or your tummy.
Notice where you feel it the most and gently and kindly breathe into that area.
Take one of your hands and softly place it on the part of your body where you feel it the most.
Imagine the hand is the hand of someone kind and caring.
It could be a friend,
A grandparent or a spiritual leader.
Allow the kindness and caring in your hand to be absorbed into your body as you continue to gently breathe.
If your mind gets distracted,
As it inevitably will,
Just gently bring it back to the exercise.
Ask the part of your body where the feeling is the strongest.
What is it you most need right now?
And without judgement,
Wait and see what answers come.
The answer may simply be,
I will get through this.
Or most people who experience this would feel the same way.
Or what I feel is real.
Maybe I need to take more time for myself.
Or maybe I need to ask my boss for some vacation leave.
Gently sit with whatever appears,
Allowing yourself to bathe in the kindness and caring of this exercise.
And remember there is no judgement or right or wrong way to do this exercise.
Now notice how you feel after taking the time to do this exercise.
And congratulate yourself for taking this time for you.
When you are ready,
Slowly,
Slowly open your eyes and come back into the room.
