Welcome to this self-compassion after a mistake practice.
It's a really great and simple way to help yourself feel a little calmer and a little better after you feel that you've made a mistake,
Which we all do.
It's part of being human.
So when you're ready,
Just find a comfortable space somewhere that you won't be disturbed and sit comfortably.
Ideally sitting upright with your back straight but not too rigid and with your feet gently resting on the ground.
Ideally you'll be closing your eyes down for this practice but if you prefer you can just look towards the floor with your eyes open.
So when you're ready,
We'll begin.
Gently closing the eyes down or lowering the gaze to the floor.
I just invite you to take a few breaths which can help you find a little presence and feel more grounded.
So breathing all the way in and all the way out and again breathing all the way in and then all the way out.
One more time,
Breathing all the way in and then breathing all the way out.
And hopefully now you're feeling a little more settled,
A little more present.
And now I'd like to invite you to bring to mind a situation where you feel you've made a mistake.
It doesn't matter how big or small it might be,
Just notice this thing,
This mistake,
This thing you feel you could have done better and notice how it makes you feel at the moment.
You might be feeling frustrated,
Disappointed,
Sad or maybe even a little angry at yourself or maybe a little embarrassed.
Whatever it is,
Just allow yourself to feel the emotion that comes up when you think about this mistake that you made.
Allow yourself the space and time to really acknowledge the emotions that you're feeling which are totally natural after we feel we've made a mistake.
And just by feeling the emotion related to the mistake,
It can actually help us to process it more easily and move on.
And now see if you can just give yourself permission to let go of any need for perfection.
Remembering that we all make mistakes,
It's part of learning and growing.
So acknowledging that difficult feeling,
Those emotions coming up about the mistake,
Knowing that that's part of being human but also starting to tell yourself that perfection is impossible and that by being brave enough to try the thing you tried,
You'll learn from it,
You'll grow from it,
You'll be stronger and more resilient as a result.
And now we're going to move to the next part of the practice and I'm going to invite you to place your hand on the centre of your chest.
This can be a really powerful way of shifting our perspective by connecting with our body.
This is a way of accepting ourselves through the touch of our hand on our body rather than rejecting ourselves which is what we often do after we've made a mistake.
The warmth of your hand connected with your chest will help to remind you that you can be kind to yourself in this moment.
Making mistakes is a part of life and it's okay to mess up sometimes.
So seeing now if you can take a moment to really connect in with the feeling of your hand against your chest.
Noticing how it feels to connect with yourself in this way.
Noticing the feeling of support that you're giving yourself just by placing the hand against your chest.
Science shows that this simple touch can release oxytocin which is a caregiving response.
This will help you to feel calmer,
More accepted and more safe even after a mistake that might have made you feel quite vulnerable.
So just really connecting in to that feeling of touch,
That feeling of support and safety that you're able to give yourself after this difficult experience.
Perhaps now noticing the movement of breath in your chest and connecting in to that feeling of hand against chest as you breathe here in this moment.
Noticing how you can move your attention from the busy mind,
The worried mind,
To that feeling of hand on chest,
That feeling of supporting yourself,
Reassuring yourself and telling yourself that mistakes are a part of life and that through going inwards and exploring the emotions related to your mistake,
You'll become more self-aware,
More resilient and more able to cope next time you try a challenging thing in your life.
And now as we move towards the end of this practice,
Just connecting in one more time with this feeling of supporting yourself.
Perhaps applying a little bit more pressure of your hand against your chest.
Really holding yourself in this moment and reminding yourself that you're doing great,
You're enough and that mistakes are a part of growing,
They're a part of learning about yourself and that without mistakes we're just playing it safe and we're not allowing ourselves to be the best versions of ourselves.
So in this final moment,
Just connecting in with the breath inside your chest,
Noticing the gentle movement of breath against your hand and then bringing your hand back down to your lap and taking a moment to notice how you're feeling notice if anything's shifted,
Noticing if your body feels a little calmer,
Maybe a little more whole,
More settled but not worrying if it hasn't because every time you come to do this practice you'll feel something new and in your own time bringing attention back into the body by wiggling the toes and then wiggling the fingers and gently opening your eyes.
And I just want to take a moment to thank you for joining me for this practice and I'd really encourage you to return to it every time you feel you've made a mistake,
Whether it's a very small or very big,
As a reminder that mistakes are just a part of being human.
Take care and I hope to see you soon.
Bye.
