10-Minute Meditation For Anxiety

– Hey there, and
welcome to this meditationto help you reduce anxiety. First, I’d like to invite
you to gently close your eyesand take a nice, slow, deep breath in,deeper than you’ve taken all day so far. And as you exhale, concentrate
on the sound of my voice,allowing it to ground you
into the present moment,and giving yourself permission
right now to focus on you,making yourself your first priority. There is nowhere else you need to be. There is nothing else
you need to be doing. For the next several minutes,
your wellbeing is your focus. Continue to take slow, deep breaths,allowing each inhale to be a bit deeperthan the one before it. Feeling your lungs
expand out as you inhale,holding it for a beatand contracting back in as you exhale. And as you continue to breathe this way,feel the journey of the
breath through your bodyand notice any places where
you may be holding stressor anxiety in your body. Unfurl your brow,unclench your jaw. Let your shoulders drop
down from your ears. Open your palms. And now allow your breath to returnto its normal rhythm and pattern,but keep your focus on it and allow itto be your anchor during this meditation. If you get distracted
by a thought or a sound,simply acknowledge that it occurredand then gently let it goand return your attention to your breath. When we’re stressed or
anxious about something,it’s often because we don’t
feel we have control over it,and the sense of being out of controlcan make us feel less safe,
and our emotions heighten. An understandable reaction to thisis that we try to control
the situation even further. We also tend to judge the situationand even our feelings about it. Those judgments and the stories
we tell ourselves about itoften become bigger than
the situation itself,which adds on even more
stress, and the cycle repeats. So right now, I invite you to call to minda situation that you feel
is causing you anxiety. What judgments are you holding about it?As you name the judgment,
acknowledge its presence. Now give the judgment
permission to drop away. You don’t need it anymore. Let it go. And what’s the story you’ve
been telling yourselfabout the situation?As you recognize it,
acknowledge its presenceand give that story permission
to drop away as well. You may notice your mind
pushing you even harderto hold onto those
judgments or those stories. Recognize and acknowledge
those thoughts too,and now allow them to drop away as well. Continue to use your
breath to anchor yourselfback in the present moment
if you get distracted. Now let’s look at that situation
again without the judgmentor the story you were telling yourself. How does it feel different?Has the level of anxiety
or stress changed?Instead, I invite you
to look at the situationwith total curiosity. Now, as we move into the
silent part of the meditation,give yourself permission
to open up to the clarityand direction on what the very
next step for you to take is. Not the next five or 10 steps,not all the steps to the end,just the very next step. And continue breathing
with your eyes closed. Just let your attention start
to focus back on my voice. Our judgments of and
stories we tell ourselvesabout a situation tend to exaggerateour feelings of unease,
anxiety and stress. They can skew what’s actually
going on out of proportionand they can block us from
seeing the truth of the situationand allowing in the ease
and comfort we so desire. So the next time you’re feeling
anxious, remember to breatheand then notice and acknowledge
the judgements about itand the story behind it. And then let them drop awayand notice how the anxiousness eases. Focus on the truth of the
situation in this moment. You have everything you need right now. Now let’s take three more
deep breaths together. Take a deep inhale in,
holding that breath for a beatand exhale it out. Again, an even deeper
breath than the one before,feeling it weave in and out
of your muscles and cellsand exhale it out. Last time, your deepest breath yetsending that oxygen all the
way through your entire body. And when it reaches the top of your headand you’re ready, you can open your eyes. Thanks for joining me for this meditationand for giving yourself this gift. Have a great rest of your day.