Hello and welcome.
My name is Melissa and congratulations for recognizing the signs of when the new scrolling has become too much,
That it is time to pull away,
But also gently recognize the effect it already has on us.
In this practice,
We'll use open awareness to let whatever that needs to surface come up so that you can gently let go of the stress instead of ignoring the exhaustion that new scrolling have already caused.
So let's begin by closing your eyes if that feels comfortable and safe to you or you can lower your gaze to reduce visual distractions.
Feeling into your whole body.
Let your spine be straight and upright.
Your shoulders soft and heavy.
Feel the chair or the surface you are on supporting you.
Feel the ground and the earth beneath supporting you.
Feeling the air and the space around you.
Almost like it is hugging to your shape.
You're here and present.
Acknowledging anything you're sensing around your environment right now,
Such as sounds,
Temperature,
A quality of light or darkness.
Taking a deep breath in and out.
Feeling the sensations of air entering your nose,
Entering the back of your throat,
With your chest and your belly expanding.
With each breath,
Feeling the pause after the in-breath and feeling your belly and your chest contracting as air leaves your mouth.
Focusing and following your breath for a few moments.
The breath is always occurring in the present moment.
You're here and present.
Now decreasing your focus on your breath and in your mind,
Step back to observe your whole being.
Your mind,
Your thoughts,
Your feelings.
What is trying to get your attention right now?
What is the most prominent feeling that you have?
Something that came as a result of too much news,
Or too much scrolling,
Too much content and stimulation.
Name that most prominent feeling.
It could be an emotion or it could be a sensation in your body.
And noticing if other thoughts appear as you recognize and name that sensation.
Is the most prominent thing you notice actually related to the news and stimulation,
Or could it have other associations?
There's no wrong or right answer.
You can take your time to explore.
Remembering why you decided to step away from the new scrolling.
What were you feeling that helped you step away?
Without going back to the stories that you saw in the news.
And feel how light it is when you don't have to be engaged in the story.
But simply observing and naming with kind curiosity.
And now noticing if your feelings or emotions are different from when you decided to step away.
Notice if your body sensations are any different between now and when you began this practice.
Perhaps there aren't that many thoughts or emotions popping up for you,
And you're simply experiencing this deep exhaustion.
Just recognize and name the situation.
By being here,
You're doing great work.
This is kindness towards yourself.
Now getting ready to close this practice.
Find your breath again.
Zooming in your attention to focusing on the sensations of your breath.
Noticing the pace of your breath.
Noticing what feels good.
Now thanking yourself for spending time to find your balance.
Here,
You can take a moment to reflect on how you feel differently.
But also the effect of this practice can come later.
It might be towards the end of the day that you have a different reflection on how this practice has helped you find balance,
Resilience,
Or something else throughout the rest of the day.
And now let's close this practice.
When you are ready,
You can open your eyes.
