So let's talk about heartache.
That particular kind of pain that feels like your whole world shifted in an instant.
Maybe you're left with questions.
Maybe you're just left with silence.
No matter how it ended,
Something you were building,
Something you believed in,
Has come apart.
And now,
You're here.
You're trying to pick up the pieces.
So let's just be here together.
Just pause.
Take a deep breath in through the nose.
Let it go slowly through the mouth.
Let's do it a few more times.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Feel yourself land right where you are.
Inhale.
And exhale.
For the next few minutes,
There's nothing to figure out.
There's nothing to solve.
You're not here to get over it.
You're here to be with it.
Gently.
Kindly.
Like you would with a dear friend who's hurting.
In fact,
That friend is you.
As you breathe,
Just see if you can let your shoulders drop a bit.
Let your jaw unclench.
Maybe a little side to side sway if you need to.
If it feels right.
See if you can let that tension that's wrapped around your chest,
Know that it can lift you up.
It can loosen.
Even just a little bit.
You know,
Heartache can feel like an alarm bell in your body.
You might notice a racing mind.
A tight belly.
Tears that come without warning.
And that's okay.
You don't have to push it away.
Instead,
Try this.
Breathe in.
Feel your breath expand your ribs.
And breathe out.
Letting yourself soften.
We're not trying to avoid the pain as much as we might want to.
But we can learn to hold it differently.
Like holding a heavy bowl of water.
You may not be able to put it down just yet,
But you can shift how you carry it.
You just have to breathe through it.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Can you bring to mind the part of you that's hurting the most right now?
Maybe it's your heart.
Maybe it's your pride.
Maybe it's the future you imagined.
That's now blurry.
And wherever that heartache lives,
Just bring your awareness there.
We're not trying to poke at it.
We're not trying to fix it.
All you have to do is just offer it your presence.
You can put a hand there if it feels natural.
A hand on the heart.
Or the belly.
Or the chest.
And maybe just tell yourself,
Silently,
I'm here.
I'm listening.
I care.
Just like you would to a dear friend.
And then take a breath.
Inhale.
And exhale.
You know,
Sometimes heartache makes us feel unlovable.
Or like we failed.
But loss doesn't mean that you're broken.
It means you were brave enough to care deeply.
Let that sink in.
You were brave.
You loved.
And now you're healing.
And that doesn't mean to rush into silver linings.
It means letting grief take its shape.
And then,
Slowly,
Letting your own shape emerge again.
Take a breath.
Inhale.
And exhale.
The breath can always be the rock that you lean on.
It's steady.
It's strong.
It's always there for you.
As Thich Nhat Hanh tells us,
When we suffer,
We must take good care of our suffering,
So that we can find the roots of peace,
Joy and liberation.
So,
In this moment,
Offer yourself that care.
A gentle breath.
A soft gaze toward your own heart.
A quiet reminder that this too will shift.
Probably not today.
Maybe not tomorrow.
But slowly,
Gradually,
Naturally.
Come back to the breath.
Notice the inhale.
Notice the exhale.
Notice that even while you sit with this heartache,
You're also sitting with strength.
You are surviving this.
And piece by piece,
You are healing.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
And so,
As you move through the rest of your day,
Just try to be a little kinder with yourself.
Take one breath when you feel overwhelmed.
Drink water.
Step outside if you can.
Put your hand over your heart and remember that you are still here.
You are still worthy.
And you are healing.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
And may you be at peace.
Thank you so much for joining me.
