A short meditation focusing on anxiety and stress (audio)

Sometimes you need another voice to cut through the anxiety-producing chatter of your own mind. Start telling yourself some good things by listening to this 5-minute mediation/visualization: 

This recording came out of a tough day. I had a quite the roller coaster of an emotional day yesterday. I actually got into bed at 8:30pm because I was so mentally and physically exhausted from the stress of the day. I didn’t sleep well and woke up at 2am, tense and nervous. I stayed in bed until 3 and then finally got up and went into our living room and sat in a chair. With my eyes closed I felt the tension, like sharp electric jolts, run throughout my body. Though I was still tired my mind was full of jumbled, confusing and loud thoughts. I felt like I was speeding out of control. Then a new voice emerged out of the cacophony. A calmer voice, a voice that said what I was feeling was ok. It was my voice. My voice that’s kind. And this was the meditation I gave myself.

Now I appreciate the experiences I had. They gave me a better and more empathetic understanding of anxiety and fear. And that empathy toward myself helps me better connect to the people I work with too. When you’re in the “worst” emotional state and are more likely to be hard on yourself, that’s really when you need the most empathy and love.