Hello again and welcome back.
In this meditation,
You will be learning how to set healthy boundaries for yourself.
Boundaries are necessary to help you protect your physical,
Emotional,
Psychological,
And spiritual well-being.
Setting healthy boundaries takes practice,
So remember to be kind to yourself as you try to find your unique balance between connection and boundaries.
To begin,
Make yourself comfortable and gently close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath and let go of any tension in your body as you feel yourself sinking into the surface that you're resting on,
Becoming still more comfortable and relaxed.
Bring your awareness into your heart space,
In the center of your chest,
And notice a softness there.
Your heart space resides within you,
Always ready to give and receive love.
Here,
You may receive guidance from above and counsel from the deepest part of your being.
Imagine that all of the energy you've sent out into the world lately is coming gently back home to your heart,
Helping you to feel more whole and complete.
Quietly receive this energy into your heart and know that there is nothing else you need to do right now.
You can simply be here,
Relax,
And receive.
As your energy continues to return to you,
It's followed by a feeling of love coming toward you and collecting within you,
Warm and comforting.
Allow yourself to soften and just let go,
And you can feel more of this love as it gently gathers within your heart,
Easing everything and helping you to know that all is well.
Take another deep breath in,
And as you slowly exhale,
Let yourself relax even more deeply.
Imagine yourself in a beautiful home,
A comfortable place where you can be yourself,
A place where you can heal,
Grow,
Thrive,
And appreciate yourself more and more.
This can be a cottage,
A mansion,
A farmhouse,
Or a loft in the city.
What matters is that you truly feel safe here,
Safe to be yourself.
As you look around,
You may notice that this home is not yet how you want it to be,
But there is great potential here,
And you know that you can make this the home of your dreams.
You are ready and excited to create your ideal living space,
Your perfect sanctuary within this beautiful home.
You know what you need to do,
And you are ready to get started.
You are confident that with daily dedication,
Consistency,
And focus,
You can do this.
As you're getting ready to start fixing up your home,
You hear someone knocking at the door.
You open the door and see a familiar face.
Maybe someone from work,
Or a friend,
Or a family member.
This person is here with a request,
With an expectation for you to drop whatever you're doing,
Leave your home,
And take care of their needs.
But,
Unlike the many times in the past,
Where you immediately agree to give and overgive,
You say kindly,
But firmly,
No.
I have to take care of my home,
Myself,
My life,
First.
You notice,
With surprise,
That your visitor accepts your boundary,
And is leaving with even more respect and appreciation for you than before.
So,
Back in your house,
You take a moment and feel excited and relieved,
And maybe even proud of yourself,
That you could say no,
And that it was so easy and empowering.
But soon,
You hear that familiar inner voice of a part of you that starts feeling anxious and even guilty about disappointing others,
And potentially losing their acceptance and approval.
So you sit down,
And kindly but firmly say,
No.
We are not going down the path of guilt and shame.
No.
I choose to give myself the time,
Energy,
And care that I used to give to everyone else but myself.
I am not selfish or self-centered.
I am simply self-caring.
This is your second boundary,
Your inner boundary,
Which allows you to refocus on yourself and your home improvements.
And as you are standing in your home and looking around,
You can see that the other people in your life have left a bit of a mess here,
And there are things that need to be cleared out.
This clutter represents all the projections and expectations that people have burdened you with.
The role of the peacemaker,
Caretaker,
Or selfless helper that you were given,
Maybe since your childhood,
Or the assumptions of your colleagues that you are the one who can work overtime on the weekend,
Or your friends or family members who expect from you that you are the one who hosts all the gatherings,
No questions asked.
Now,
It is time for you to establish the third boundary,
Which is to let go of all these old patterns and programs that no longer serve you and that only distract you from yourself.
So,
Go through each room with a big empty bag and collect all the unwanted clutter and junk that doesn't belong to you.
You are cleaning and clearing out your house and making it your own.
Remember,
Letting go is easy,
It's natural,
Just like exhaling,
And as you continue to fill up this big bag,
You are feeling lighter and lighter.
You are having fun cleaning your home,
And with a smile,
You realize that some of those old situations,
People,
And responsibilities had captured a lot of your power.
So,
By taking charge and letting go,
You feel your power returning,
More and more.
You feel charged up and invigorated,
Because you're creating more space for yourself to return.
And after all this great work,
It's time to sit down and relax,
And put your feet up.
You know how empowering it feels to have your boundaries,
To say no to others,
And to say no to your own impulses to feel bad when you don't take care of others.
You enjoy the freedom of releasing the energies and echoes of other people's expectations,
But you also realize that at your core,
You are a kind and caring person.
Someone who does want to do good in the world.
And this is where you are now focusing on your fourth boundary,
The fourth field of compassion.
In the past,
You have taken the problems and needs of others personally.
You have absorbed their feelings,
Their expectations,
Their opinions,
And therefore,
It was difficult to discern between them and yourself.
With compassion,
However,
You are still aware of what others need or are going through,
But you can clearly see what is them,
And what is you.
It's like an invisible barrier.
With compassion,
You can calmly reflect on a situation and choose how you want to engage in it.
You can see the difference between supporting others in empowering ways and enabling others while losing yourself.
Through the lens of compassion,
You never lose sight of what is your responsibility for yourself,
And what is others' sacred responsibilities for themselves.
So that they can learn,
Grow,
And overcome their problems.
You have compassion for others,
But you also have compassion for yourself.
And therefore,
You know whether it is time for you to support others or to take care of yourself.
So open your heart and let your compassion flow from it.
Let your compassion fill you up and surround you like a beautiful light.
Sit in the light of your compassion.
Reflect on your boundaries and trust that through your kind and caring nature,
You will continue to be a support to the world,
And especially to those you love and care about.
But you no longer overgive or overextend yourself.
Your sense of worthiness and safety depends on you,
And not on others' approval.
So instead of pleasing others,
You are committed to learning to appreciate,
Love,
And believe in yourself.
Because whatever you have been looking for in others is already available to you within.
It will soon be time to bring this inner journey to a close.
But first,
Take a moment to thank yourself for giving yourself this gift of time and reflection.
Allow all the benefits of this experience to stay with you as you gently bring your awareness back to your physical body.
Feeling more deeply connected to yourself,
Your worthiness,
And your truth.
Take a deep breath in,
Exhale.
This is Mary Freeth,
Wishing you a beautiful and empowering day.
See you again tomorrow.
