Danielle Jhiani guides you through deep breathing and body scanning to quiet racing thoughts and fall asleep. She teaches you to notice anxious thoughts without engaging with them, using the image of leaves floating down a river, then redirects your attention to her voice and rain sounds.
Welcome.
My name is Danielle and I'm an anxiety and OCD recovery coach who has recovered from multiple subsets of ocd, anxiety and depression.
Today we're going to do a meditation. It's going to help shut off the mind and help you either go to sleep.
Or get back to sleep.
The mind can start running.
When we have stressors in our life.
When we have worries.
Or when we struggle with anxiety or ocd.
Mind wants to figure things out.
It wants to solve problems.
So that we can stay safe.
And happy.
And calm.
But most of the time.
When your mind is running.
And you can't turn it off.
It'S going in circles.
It'S going in loops.
And this can be very ineffective.
Not only for our health.
But for our productivity.
I want you to start by taking a couple of very deep breaths.
This is going to start to tell your mind and your body it's time to relax.
Even though we can't fully stop our thoughts.
We can choose what to do with them.
So that they slow down.
And we can go to sleep.
We're going to start.
By just noticing the thoughts.
But not engaging with them whatsoever.
Like a leaf floating down a river.
I want you to just notice the thoughts.
Coming and going.
Choosing not to give them any attention.
Your brain may think that there's something to figure out right now.
Or that if you don't engage that you're going to miss something.
The reality is.
You can deal with this later.
Right now.
The most important thing.
Is to let go.
If you have uncomfortable feelings, either emotionally or physically in your body.
I want you to practice letting them be there.
And not giving them your mental attention.
Just like with the thoughts.
You may have to do this over and over and over again.
Noticing it's there and then redirecting your attention and choosing not to give it any more thought.
We can retrain our brain out of negative habits.
No matter who we are.
How long we've struggled.
Or how much stress we currently have.
The only way you fail is if you give up.
And we're not going to give up.
Whenever the thoughts want to come back or you catch yourself engaging.
You'Re just going to disconnect and let it go.
If you feel the stress or emotion attached to a thought.
You'Re going to disconnect from that emotion and let it go.
If you have uncomfortable feelings in your body.
Pain or unease.
We'Re going to stop giving it attention.
Each and every time.
And let it go.
As human beings.
We all get strange.
Negative.
Uncomfortable thoughts.
Your only job is to Recognize that you don't have to attach to any of them.
You can trust yourself.
We're teaching the brain that it doesn't have to worry.
It doesn't have to remind us over and over and over.
And it doesn't have to warn us of every single little tiny threat.
Or seeing that might go wrong.
In fact, when we give these types of thoughts attention.
We'Re teaching the brain that it is important and that it does need to continue to remind us.
When in reality.
We can trust ourselves.
That if something does happen, we'll handle it.
If there's something important to do coming up.
You will handle it.
Now is the time to take care of ourselves.
To let go.
To relax.
And to sleep.
Continue.
Letting go of those thoughts as they come up.
Each and every.
Time.
You're not going to be perfect at this.
And that's okay.
Your only job.
Is to keep going.
Continue.
To let the thoughts come.
But just float on by.
Continue.
To refocus on my voice.
Or on the rain that you hear in the background.
Every single time that you refocus.
You'Re teaching your brain.
Not to attach to the thoughts.
And then it's time to relax.
You're doing great.
If you're feeling any tension.
I want you to start with the top of your head.
Imagine your scalp relaxing.
Now into your forehead.
And your eyes.
Your ear, ears.
Nose, mouth are all relaxing.
As you go down your body, your neck starts to relax.
And your shoulders will really start to relax.
Start to feel your arms and your hands.
Relax into the bed or the couch or wherever you're laying.
You feel your chest and your torso.
Start to melt and relax into the surface.
Your stomach and your hips.
Into your thighs.
They're all relaxing.
Your knees.
Your calves.
Your feet and your toes.
Relaxing.
Notice that your breath.
Is calm and slow.
The more you focus on my voice.
The more relaxed you feel.
Your only job is to try not to do this perfectly.
Quickly. You.
Just going to do the best that you can today.
The more pressure we put on trying to get to sleep or needing to get to sleep.
The harder it's going to be it.
I want you to take all the pressure off.
And just focus on my voice.
Focus on letting the thoughts.
And the feelings go.
Over.
And over.
And over again.
We're doing great.
It.
Your only job is to continue practicing.
And continue letting go.
As often as it takes.
