Sit or lie down,
One hand on your heart,
One on your belly.
If that feels awkward,
Just one hand on your heart is fine.
Close your eyes and take three slow breaths,
No need to count,
Just feel your hand rising and falling.
There is no goal here,
No feeling better requirement,
Just presence.
Now think of a recent moment when you felt not enough.
Not enough energy,
Not enough money,
Not enough progress,
Not enough likes,
Not enough love.
Just one moment.
Don't argue with the feeling,
Don't try to positive think it away,
Just say to yourself ëI hear youí.
Now imagine that critical voice as a small worried creature,
Maybe it looks like a grey cloud,
Or a tiny barking dog,
Or a stressed out version of yourself at 12 years old.
That creature is trying to protect you,
It's scared that if you stop pushing you'll fail.
But it's wrong,
It's working without information,
Say to it ëthank you for trying to protect me,
But I don't need you right nowí.
You don't have to kill the critic,
You just have to stop letting it drive the car.
After each breath,
Repeat one of these to yourself,
Don't force belief,
Just let the words land like seeds,
Breathe in and breathe out.
I don't have to be perfect to be worthy.
My value is not my output,
I am allowed to rest and still matter.
I am enough right now,
Not just in the future.
If a phrase feels false,
That's fine,
Just notice the resistance,
That's the critic again.
Name it ëcriticí and come back to the phrase.
Keep your hand on your heart,
Feel its warmth,
Feel the gentle thump.
That heart has been beating since before you could speak.
It has survived every hard thing so far.
Every rejection,
Every failure,
Every loss.
Say out loud or silently,
This heart is enough.
Not because of what I've achieved,
Because it's still here.
Now say ëI am enoughí.
Not because of what I do,
Because I exist.
I am enough.
Not because of what I do,
Because I exist.
If tears come,
That's allowed,
That's release,
Let them be.
Take one last deep breath in through your nose,
Out through your mouth.
On the exhale,
Whisper to yourself ëI choose to believe myself today,
Even for one secondí.
Keep your eyes closed for 10 more seconds,
Just breathe,
Nothing to do.
Then open your eyes slowly,
No rush,
The inner critic might come back in 5 minutes,
That's fine,
You just gave yourself a gift,
And you can give it again tomorrow.
Thank you.
