I know right now you might be feeling highly anxious,
You might be in an anxiety or a panic episode,
Or filled with a sense of fear or dread.
We're going to tend to that today,
And we're going to do it in a guided visualisation that leans on this idea of an inner magic we might have.
I want you to just take a second to think about magic and how exciting it is to us.
Not only when we're young when it's super exciting,
But even as adults of any age,
How wonderful and powerful the idea of having some sort of hidden magic is.
We're going to be leaning into this today as part of the visualisation to help you ground and centre yourself as you move through this wave of panic and anxiety.
So when you're ready,
And you're in a comfortable seated or standing position,
I just want you to gently close your eyes or lower your gaze.
If you can feel your heart racing right now,
If you're finding it difficult to take in full breaths,
That's okay,
We're not going to do any breathing exercises in this moment,
But I'm just going to ask that you try and invite yourself to settle into your body as much as you can,
And just listen to my words,
Don't focus too much on bodily sensations or your breath in this moment.
So I want you to imagine in your mind's eye that you're stood,
As strong and as steady as can be,
And we're going to rethink about this idea of an inner magic.
What it would be like to kind of trust we have it and cast a spell or do some magic that helps us in a moment of crisis or need.
So in this standing position,
I want you to imagine that you raise your hand and the palms facing out,
And you have this moment of can I,
Could I,
And instead of talking yourself out of it,
You trust.
So your arms outstretched and your palms facing outwards,
And as you surrender into,
I trust,
There's something in me that can help me right now.
I want you to imagine that this magic sputters to life in the palm of your hand,
Might look a certain way or be a particular colour,
Whatever you see in your mind's eye is absolutely right for this moment,
And I want you to imagine that as you realise this magic sputters to life in your palm,
You instinctively whisper the word shield.
As you do,
A barely visible barrier flickers into place around you.
It's a bit unsteady at first,
But it grows in strength as you take it in.
Take a look at it now and note any details you see of it.
Perhaps does it shimmer?
Is it made of a type of energy?
Does it have a colour or colours?
As you make out more of it,
You notice it curves around you like a dome of protection,
Light,
Airy yet unbreakable.
This shield certainly is magical.
It has the ability to block out anything that does not serve you right now.
Whether it be rushing thoughts that are spiralling out of control,
Feelings of panic or fear,
Any sense of overwhelm,
Dread or doom,
It cannot exist in this shield.
Whatever was once present,
Evaporates.
Under the strength of the shield.
And in its place grows this calming,
Trusting energy.
People can't get through your barrier either,
So anyone who might be causing you upset or distress,
Or who you'd simply rather just tune out right now,
They are now not able to invade your shield space.
They can't step into your physical space,
And they can't step into your psychic space in your mind.
They're simply left unharmed,
But kind of stunned silent on the other side,
With no other option than to just walk away from you and tend to something else in their life.
The beauty of this shield is that everything that does serve you can pass through it.
Moments of kindness,
Connection,
Joy and creativity,
Even moments of neutrality and acceptance,
They can all seep through the shield.
And as they do,
They build its strength,
Making it more vibrant and powerful.
Any small moments of humour or hope,
Small moments of pleasure that might have gotten lost in the storm of anxiety and panic,
Aren't caught up in that storm anymore,
And they find their way to you now.
With the magic you have been able to cast,
This shield you've been able to make for yourself,
You find you are protected in it,
Safe.
You feel your heart rate slowing down now,
It's much more at ease.
You feel your spine lengthen as you grow in confidence that you can navigate even the toughest of moments.
This spell has come from within you,
From your inner resources,
That can be called upon at any time to help you tolerate and move through a moment of high anxiety or panic.
Let the anxiety know that you trust the shield you've cast to discern what is and isn't helpful for you,
What is and isn't safe,
And let it know that it too can take a rest.
And when you're ready,
I'm going to ask you to just gently flutter your eyes back open and lift your gaze,
Just coming back to the present moment,
And present awareness.
Just take a little breath in and out.
Oftentimes anxiety is trying to be helpful,
But what I like to say is that anxiety wants us safe,
But it doesn't always want us well and thriving,
And that's important to hold in mind.
Anxiety can be really rooted in beliefs that being one step ahead of the game will keep us safe and keep us from feeling any discomfort or upset,
But instead it kind of creates this whirlwind of discomfort and upset in the present moment,
And it drains our battery,
Leaving us feeling fearful,
Overwhelmed,
And burnt out.
You can keep yourself safe enough without anxiety doing overtime.
Trust your shield,
Trust your judgment,
And know that if it is really required,
Anxiety will be with you again too in an instant.
These moments of high anxiety do not define you.
How you react and move through them,
That's what's important,
So I want to thank you for taking the time out today when you noticed that anxiety or panic rising and tending to it.
As I said earlier,
That's its own kind of magic.
I hope the rest of your day goes well and smoothly,
And know that you can return to your shield if anxiety or panic rises up again.
