Hi and welcome to this daily dose of overcoming your fears.
Facing your fears daily is like strengthening a muscle.
Consistent practice builds confidence to navigate challenges with greater ease and strength.
Start by sitting upright but without it being uncomfortable.
Make sure that the front of your body is open so as to receive the full range of your breath.
Close your eyes to turn your attention inwards and start breathing slowly through your nose.
Become entirely still.
The only thing moving in you is the air coming in and out of your nostrils.
Now,
Notice what's happening in your experience of this moment.
The different sounds around you.
The sensations of your chair or cushion beneath you.
And if you feel a particular mood today,
Notice how that mood manifests within your body.
Turn your attention to the sensations of your breath and notice how your body is breathing on autopilot.
Without you having to do anything but to observe this rising and falling movement.
Now,
Starting at the top of your head and going all the way down to your toes,
Observe the sensations in your body as if you were passing underneath a scanner.
If you notice stronger sensations,
Slowly sweep your attention once again on this area and notice if they're linked to any emotion you're feeling today.
If at any point during this meditation you're distracted by thoughts,
Sounds or sensations,
It's perfectly normal and it's okay.
When you notice these thoughts,
Simply bring your attention back to your breath.
That is,
To the sensations of the air coming in and out of your nostrils or to the rise and fall of your chest or abdomen.
Follow your breath from the very beginning of the inhale to the very end of your exhale.
And now,
Simply by observing your breath,
Allow it to slow down so that the flow of air moving in and out of your body becomes thinner and thinner as if your breathing was following the rhythm of very small waves on a quiet beach.
When you follow your breathing with your full attention,
It's as if you were diving in the depths of your inner ocean.
You can watch the waves of your thoughts and emotions from an area of calm and serenity.
If you get caught into one of these waves,
It's all right.
Simply bring your attention back to your breathing.
Now bring to mind a situation that is currently worrying you and generating some fear,
Uncertainty or unease.
And as you let the worrisome thoughts float in and out of awareness,
Turn your attention to your body and notice if any parts feel contracted,
Uncomfortable or agitated.
And as you let the worrisome thoughts float in and out of awareness,
Now consider the situation again and see if you can identify as much as possible what exactly you are afraid of,
As if you were trying to describe what you fear to someone else.
You can even let your mind go to a worst-case scenario about this future situation.
While remaining concentrated on your breathing,
Imagine this situation arriving,
Happening and coming to an end.
And notice if the physical sensations increase,
Decrease or stay the same as you allow this movie to play in front of you.
Imagine the new circumstances after this worst-case scenario happened and see how,
As bad as it gets,
You still have the choice of how to look at the situation and how to respond to it.
Here and now,
With every inhale,
Bring to your body a feeling of trust in your abilities to face challenges.
Now imagine a version of this future situation that is more optimistic.
Allow the images about what you would like to happen to come forth,
Inviting outcomes that feel surprisingly good.
Now turn your attention to your body and notice what happens inside you when you visualize a positive situation.
Here and now,
With every inhale,
Bring to your body a feeling of trust in life.
We're now going to focus on three affirmations to help you face your fears.
Notice how the words contained in these affirmations resonate within you while remaining focused on the sensation of your breath.
First affirmation.
The more I find the courage to look at my fears,
The less they control me,
The freer I am.
Second affirmation.
Even amidst the worst situation,
I'm free to choose how to look at it and how to move forward.
Third affirmation.
What I resist persists.
What I embrace dissolves.
Before ending this meditation,
Once again,
Notice your current mood and observe how you feel when you're connected to the present moment.
You can now slowly come back to the space around you by noticing your surroundings,
Starting with the sounds around you,
The weight of your body on your seat,
And when you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes.
I hope you enjoyed today's daily dose of overcoming fear.
Have a great day,
And I'll see you tomorrow for another daily dose.
