Everyday Practices
Facing What’s in Front of Me
For Steadying Yourself Before Something Hard
US$4 4 practices · 8 tracks · listen or download
Get the pack · US$4Sometimes we can see the hard thing coming. A difficult conversation, or a day we’ve been dreading. The mind gets busy, going over what might go wrong and trying to take control.
That’s the mind doing its job, and we don’t have to argue with it. We can let it chatter, come back to the breath, and remind ourselves of the times we’ve been brave before.
These practices are for the time just before. There’s a grounding practice with simple affirmations, and a short meditation for finding a refuge inside. There’s also a story about Jack, who found some words that helped him through a hard time.
There are four tracks here. I’ve Got This and Jack’s story each come in three versions, so you can choose one to fit the time you have. What to Say Instead is a short teaching on finding kinder words for yourself when the mind is giving you a hard time.
What’s inside
I’ve Got This
3 versions
Full version · 12 minBreath only · 4 minStraight to the words · 2 min
For when you’re preparing for what’s in front of you. You settle with the words ‘in breath, out breath’ in time with your breathing, while the mind does its thing. Then affirmations to repeat: ‘I am brave because my history has shown that I have been sometimes.’ You reach for one small moment you’ll be grateful for today, with a half smile. It ends on ‘I’ve really got this.’ The second version is the breathing on its own, and the micro version goes straight to the words.
My Inner Refuge
7 min
A short meditation for settling. You sense your immediate surroundings and repeat ‘All is well. I am safe.’ Then you notice what you can see behind your closed eyes, and let the body soften a little more with each breath, into a refuge you’ve created inside. There’s plenty of space between the words.
When Times Got Tough for Jack
3 versions
Full version · 7 minStory only · 5 minMicro version · 3 min
A short story about Jack, who comes across some affirmations while scrolling on his phone. The first one lands: ‘I am the one person who knows exactly what I have been through.’ He keeps coming back to them, makes room for unwanted thoughts and feelings, and starts to show up for himself. The full version ends with Jack’s affirmations for you to hear. The second is the story on its own, and the micro version is a short scene of Jack stuck in worry, then the affirmations.
What to Say Instead
10 min
For when you don’t know how to speak kindly to yourself. A short teaching from The Wisdom of The Waves: automatic thoughts aren’t your fault, and when you step back from them, you get to choose your words. You hear some examples, like ‘My mind is giving me a hard time, but I have my own back.’ Then the six words of self-compassion, ‘acknowledge your discomfort, respond with kindness’, and some Validating Self-Talk. It ends with a rhyming affirmation.