The tides of life have presented us with many unknowns lately. This may cause even more stress than any of the known factors we face. What if my kids don’t go back to school? What if we shut down again? What if I permanently lose my job? What if the economy crashes? The list is infinite. If we keep allowing ourselves to travel down this path in our mind then we are certain to be overcome by the heavy weight of anxiety. Or we can challenge ourselves to allow the unknown to just be; without evaluating it as either good or bad. Accepting that we don’t have all the answers and that we must adapt as we go along can be very challenging. We can, however, approach this task like learning to surf and try to enjoy the waves wherever we land in them. And God forbid that tragedy does fall upon us or our loved ones all the worry and stress we endured did not prevent the bad from happening. The worry and stress just got in the way of enjoying the good part of the ride.
There are so many mindfulness strategies to choose from but guided meditation is one that I love. Guided meditations help me switch the channel in mind, refocus it elsewhere, and this in turn calms the body. Hopefully you will find it useful also. If you like it, try recording it on your phone and play it back to yourself whenever you need to take you mind on journey away from what is stressing it. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the video!
Kimberly Prendergast, LMFT is one of the Owner's of Empire Therapy & Family Services. She has been assisting children, adolescents and families in crisis for over 20 years. Kimberly can be reached at 805.798.3723 or kprendergast@empiretcs.net.