Hello and welcome to this grounding exercise which has been designed for bereavement care staff to listen to either on their walk home,
From work or drive home.
My name is Lucy,
I am here today to guide you through this reflective practice.
I am a bereaved parent,
I'm also a mental health nurse and I'm here from the Ellie's Gift project to support you after what's most likely probably been a very busy and overwhelming day.
So beginning then,
I'd like to invite you to take in three slow deep breaths,
So breathing slowly in,
Releasing your breath with a sigh and again breathing slowly in and releasing your breath,
Allowing your shoulders to drop,
Release,
Relax and one final time,
Breathing deep into your body and allowing your shoulders,
Your body to completely relax,
Release.
So just allowing your breathing to return to its normal pace and rhythm.
I'd like to invite you to begin by noticing your surroundings.
So if you're walking,
Feeling the ground beneath your feet,
The rhythm of your steps or the breeze on your face and if you're driving,
Notice your hands on the wheel,
The sensation of the seat supporting your body or the movement of the vehicle.
Taking a slow deep breath in through your nose and exhale softly through your mouth and breathing normally again.
So saying silently in your mind to yourself,
I release the weight of the day.
I'd like to invite you to imagine that your thoughts and emotions were like leaves floating down a stream.
So each time a thought arises,
Imagine it gently drifting away with the current.
If a particular moment from the day lingers,
Place it in that stream and just say to yourself,
It's okay to let it go for now.
Notice any tension in your body and if you're walking,
Imagine each step grounding you,
Releasing stress with every footfall as if the earth beneath you was draining all that stress from your body.
If you're driving,
Rolling your shoulders back,
Relaxing your jaw and unclenching your hands,
Relaxing them as they rest on the steering wheel and as you gently breathe in and breathe out,
Say in your mind,
With every breath out,
I let go.
Moving your attention now to what feels steady or good in this moment.
Perhaps it's the fresh air,
The quiet hum of the car or the fact that you've done your best today.
Silently saying in your mind,
I'm grateful for my strength,
My compassion and my care.
As your journey now moves closer towards home,
Setting an intention to leave the day behind.
You might say,
I leave work here and I enter my home with peace.
Taking one last deep breath in,
Filling your body with calm,
Ease and breathing out,
Releasing anything heavy,
Any additional tension,
Just letting it go.
You've done all that you can do today and tomorrow is another day.
But for now,
This is your time,
Time to rest,
Time to recharge.
Time to nourish yourself with all that feels good because you can't pour from an empty cup.
So we are sending you all our love here at the project.
We hope that you've enjoyed this short practice today.
Take care.
