Everyday Practices
Being Okay With Not Being Okay
For Days That Are Genuinely Hard
US$6 5 practices · 14 tracks · listen or download
Get the pack · US$6Some days are hard, and there’s no quick way round them. People mean well when they tell us to think positive, or to be grateful for what we’ve got. But when we’re struggling, those words can leave us feeling more alone.
These practices start from how things actually are. Our struggles are real and our pain is valid, and it’s okay that healing takes time. When we can say that to ourselves, it can be a little easier to be with what’s here, instead of fighting it as well.
There are validating affirmations here, and a grounding practice for times of uncertainty. There’s also my song, My Challenges Are Valid.
Most tracks come in more than one length, so you can pick a shorter one on the days when that’s all you’ve got room for. The song comes in a full and a shorter version, each with an instrumental too.
What’s inside
In This Tough Life
6 min
For when you need words for what you’re carrying. You choose whether to walk, sit or lie down, and thank yourself for making this time. Then a set of validating affirmations: ‘I am the one person who knows exactly what I have been through.’ They acknowledge the tough time, the unwanted feelings that linger, and the little glimmers of meaningful connection. It ends by reminding you that you’re not alone, and that other people going through tough times right now is ‘what unites us’.
My Experiences Are Valid
3 versions
With the breath · 8 minAffirmations only · 6 minShorter version · 4 min
For when you feel misunderstood. Affirmations that start from how things really are: ‘My struggles are real and my pain is valid.’ They remind you that healing takes time and isn’t linear, and that somewhere there are people who would understand. In the full version, you breathe with the words ‘in breath, out breath’ between the affirmations. The second version is the affirmations without the breathing, and the shortest is a smaller selection that ends on allowing yourself to feel held.
Honouring My Challenges
3 versions
Full version · 15 minShorter version · 12 minStraight to the affirmations · 8 min
For when you’ve been through a lot. It opens with The Wisdom of The Waves, then a count down from 10 to 1, where you can soften into the pull of gravity or listen to the space between the numbers. The affirmations honour what you’ve been through, including the times you struggled and gave up. ‘Your challenges are valid. You’ve been through so much.’ The shorter version starts at the count down, and the shortest goes straight to the affirmations.
The Swaying Branch
3 versions
Full version · 18 minShorter version · 11 minMicro version · 3 min
For times of uncertainty. Uncertainty can feel like being high in a tree in a storm, clinging to a branch that keeps swaying. Each out-breath brings you back down to the ground, where you’re safe while the storm carries on above. Then you explore the out-breath in detail, its rhythm and its warmth. It ends with a hand on your heart and a soft half smile. The 10-minute version explores the breath more briefly, and the 3-minute one sets up the picture and finishes as you touch the ground.
My Challenges Are Valid
4 versions
Full version · 5:30Full instrumental · 5:30Shorter version · 4:24Shorter instrumental · 4:24
My song, sung by me. The words are validating and kind, for the times when what you’re going through needs to be acknowledged, not fixed. Play it whenever you need to hear that from someone. It comes in a full and a shorter version, each with an instrumental of its own.