Stress Archives

Meditation Scripts, Stress

Mindfulness Body Scan for Stress Relief

Mindfulness Body Scan for Stress Relief. The intent is to use progressive muscle relaxation and awareness to reach a deep state of ease.

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Here’s a Sample of the “” Guided Meditation Script:

Lie down in a comfortable, quiet place where you can be free from distractions
If you’re supporting your head or chest, maintain a neutral neck and spine
Close your eyes, to help turn your attention inward
Breathe gently and quietly in and out through your nose

Count out 5 slow cycles of breath
Let your whole body rest back
Drop into the awareness that this is your time to be at ease, and to be still
Let yourself be present here
There’s nowhere else you need to be,
And nothing else you need to do
That’s more important than resting, right here, and right now

We’ll begin with awareness of the head and face
Without moving too much,
Shut your eyes tight, scrunch up your nose, and pucker your lips
Squeeze tight every muscle of your face, your brow, your entire head
Hold this tension as tightly as you can for a long patient inhale breath
Then with exhale, let go

Pay particular attention to the sensation of this release
Notice sensation in the muscles of the face
Notice the process of movement from tight, to soft
Notice the feeling, of the face and head expanding into relaxation

Be present with this feeling of letting go for as long as you’d like to
As we move through this meditation,
You can pause at any time

When you’re ready, drop your awareness to your shoulders
The sides of your rib cage
Your chest and your back
Your belly and low back
Aware of your entire torso

And then as you lie here,
With inhale breath, squeeze and flex this torso
Squeeze the sides of your body,

Tighten your belly
Activate your back, your shoulders, your chest
Hold tight as you seek out activation in every last little corner of the torso
Hold tight as you take a long inhale

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Meditation Scripts, Pain

A Safe Place to Deal with Pain

A Safe Place to Deal with Pain. Chronic pain can be very hard to handle, but many times when we create a mental image of suffering, we tend to aggravate this pain.

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Here’s a Sample of the “” Guided Meditation Script:

Welcome to this guided meditation session to create a safe place for you...

Chronic pain can be very hard to handle, but many times when we create a mental image of our suffering, we tend to aggravate this pain, thus increasing it.

Then every time we feel this sensation, we will have a negative thought attached to it on a conscious and subconscious level.

So what this meditation will teach you are techniques to change the mental image that has been created from this pain, and instead implement a peaceful association with pleasant visualizations that create a warmer bonding between you and your body’s sensations.

This allows you to accept and allow instead of fight and push away.

Make sure you are in a very comfortable position.

Sit down, or lay down if that feels good for you, however you need to position yourself so that none of your muscles are activated or tense.

Every part of your body can rest and feel completely relaxed during this meditation.

Begin by taking 5 deep breaths to relax even more.

1……. Full breath in……and let it go

2 …….Fully inhale………and exhale

3……..breathe in as much as you can…….and let it go, feeling a wave of relaxation come over you

4……..inhale deeply……..and exhale, feeling invigorated

5……..last one, fully inhale……….and exhale, feeling any tension loosen up and your body feeling extremely relaxed.

Good.

And just allow your breath to slow and flow naturally now, don’t try to change anything about it.

Just notice the calmness that these 5 breaths gifted you.

Notice how your body breathes without you doing anything at all.

Begin to feel any sensations that you associate with your pain.

Bring them into your awareness and allow the feelings to multiply.

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Meditation Scripts, Stress

Mindfulness When You Drive

Mindfulness When You Drive. Driving can be a time of stress, autopilot, or downright rage. It’s a prime opportunity to cultivate mindfulness, partly because it’s a natural transition between one part of your day and another.

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Driving with Mindfulness

Driving can be a time of stress, autopilot, or downright rage.

It’s a prime opportunity to cultivate mindfulness, partly because it’s a natural transition between one part of your day and another.

If you’re the one driving, remember that safety is the number one priority!

You may try this practice in a parking lot first,in a quiet neighborhood,or in a place where you feel totally comfortable behind the wheel.

Mindful driving can also help you be less distracted while driving, making you a better driver.

Start this practice before you actually begin driving.Sitting in your car, feel the points of contact.Tune in to the feet on the pedals, the sensation of sitting in the seat, and the hands on the wheel.As you turn your car on, feel and hear the sensation of the car starting.

As you begin moving, pay attention to the experience of driving.

You don’t need to do anything special.

Just watch your experience with present-time awareness.

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Meditation Scripts, Stress

Mindfulness While Waiting In Line

Mindfulness While Waiting In Line. Waiting is an unavoidable fact of life. Often, when we’re waiting (in traffic, in DMV) we grow impatient or frustrated.

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What Are You Waiting For?

Waiting is an unavoidable fact of life.

Often when we’re waiting—

in traffic, at the DMV, for our food to arrive—

we grow impatient or frustrated.

We focus entirely on getting to the front of the line and completing the task.

In these moments when you have nothing to do but wait, you have a perfect opportunity

to practice and encourage mindfulness.

Begin this practice whenever you are waiting during your day. Whether you’re physically waiting in line or waiting on hold on the telephone, use the experience of waiting as your cue to practice.

Pay attention to what it is you are waiting for. You are likely waiting for something specific.

Bring this to mind, recognizing the nature of the experience.

Check in to see if there is any impatience or frustration present with the waiting.

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Compassion, Meditation Scripts

Mindful Media

Mindful Media. Media is a major stressor. This script (that reads like an exercise) helps its readers and listeners to engage more consciously with media. It is a mindfulness practice different than formal meditations. However, it offers us deeper insights into the way we engage with technology.

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Just as you take food into your body, consuming both healthy
and not-so-healthy options,
you also consume media throughout the day.

You listen to music, watch TV, read the news, and so on.

Although these may provide knowledge and entertainment,
they can also create anxiety and stress in our minds
and bodies or take us away from our connection to the mind.

This exercise offers a few different ways
to bring mindfulness to these moments of consumption.

They don’t necessarily need to be done step-by-step.

First, consider what the impact may be of what you are choosing to consume.

Are you reading the news to inform yourself, or to fuel frustration?

Perhaps the television show you watch has quite a bit of violence and gets your nervous system going.

This isn’t to label a show, story, or song as good or bad.

It’s merely about recognizing the effects of your choice.

As you consume the piece of media, notice the response of the mind and body.

If you are watching TV, mute the volume during commercials to check in with yourself.

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Meditation Scripts, Relaxation

Experience Your Mind Like An Ocean

Experience Your Mind Like an Ocean. In this meditation, the reader guides the listener to a deep place of stillness – just like the depths of the ocean. By likening our thoughts to waves, we start to create separation between them and who we are.

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So, to reduce anxiety,
start by taking a moment to relax your body,
soften any unnecessary tension in your belly and shoulder,
and find a posture that feels both relaxed and alert,

Rest your hands
in an easy effortless way.

With your eyes open,
take a few moments
to scan your awareness
through the sensations of your body,
and wherever possible,
soften and release
obvious areas of physical tension.

Let your eyes stay open
and focus on the middle of the room
wherever you are.

And then see how you can let your awareness travel across the room
from where you’re sitting.

If you’re lying down,
you can let your attention go upwards
to the ceiling.

And then notice
how you can let your attention come back
to the center of the room.

And see if you can bring your attention closer,
to about book-reading distance
as if you’re reading a book in your hands.

So clearly, you can determine where your attention goes.

And now
you can let your eyes close
and just let your attention go inward.

And gently focus on
the sensations of the breath
moving in and out of the body...

And you can let your attention go to wherever the breath comes most naturally to you.

For some people,
it’s the sensations of the air in the nostrils ,
with that gentle feeling coming in and out
as the air passes in and out at the nostrils.

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Meditation Scripts, Relaxation

Body Scan, Intermediate

Body Scan Intermediate is a great practice for releasing stress. It guides readers and listeners through this type of mindfulness exercise. It also includes reflection questions to ponder at the end. How does the body impact the mind?

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Let's begin by taking a moment to settle your body into a comfortable position
(2 seconds).

You may close your eyes or keep them slightly open with a soft focus looking downward a few feet in front of you (2 seconds).

Allow your spine to lift and
your shoulders to soften (2 seconds).

Today we will practice a body scan (2 seconds).

Taking a full breath in (2 seconds) and a long slow breath out (2 seconds).

Bring gentle awareness to the breathing (2 seconds).

Notice the in breath (2 seconds)

and out breath (2 seconds)

and spaces in between (10 seconds).

Bring attention to the top of your head, notice sensations or lack of sensations
(2 seconds).

Move your attention down to the back of your head, the sides (2 seconds),

to your forehead (2 seconds), and face (5 seconds).

Move your attention to your neck (2 seconds), and your throat (2 seconds), and now shoulders.

Noticing what sensations you are aware of.
Shift attention to your arms, upper arms, lower arms (2 seconds),

your hands (2 seconds), and fingers (2 seconds).

Bring your attention to your back, upper back
(2 seconds),

down to the middle (2 seconds), and down farther to your lower back (10 seconds).

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Awareness of Four Elements Earth, Air, Water and Fire

Buddhist, Meditation Scripts

Awareness Of The Four Elements

Awareness of the Four Elements is a unique script. By exploring our awareness of earth, air, water, and fire, we start to relate to the body in a new way. As a result, the mind becomes more curious, quieting any thoughts that wish to bind us.

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This practice provides a different lens through which you can examine the body.

Give yourself space to drop in and deeply investigate these elements in your body.

Try to bring an open mind, and see what you can learn about yourself.

Remember that mindfulness is about seeing clearly, and looking at things from a new
perspective can often bring that clarity.

Settle into a relaxed position.

Close the eyes, and bring your awareness to the places in the body where you experience contact, such as the feet on the floor, the hands in the lap, or the body sitting in the chair.

Begin with the element of earth or solid form.

Without thinking too hard about what this means, openly examine where and how you can feel solidity.

This might be the structure of your skeleton, the chair you’re sitting on, any places of tension in the body, or the weight of your muscles as they relax.

Don’t rush through these sensations or try to force them.

When you feel the earth element in the body, stay with it for a few deep breaths.

Continue this seeking, recognizing, and feeling for a few breaths.

After five minutes, switch to the element of air or wind.

An obvious place to start is in the form of the body breathing.

Where can you feel the air of the breath?

You may also look for places in the body where you can feel empty space—

the nostrils, the mouth, and the ears can offer insight into the air element.

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Meditation Scripts, Relaxation

Soft Belly

Soft Belly is a deeply relaxing and restorative practice. Since this type of breathwork lessens the stress response, it brings about feelings of peace, calm, and contentment.

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Here’s a Sample of the “” Guided Meditation Script:

So, to reduce anxiety,
start by taking a moment to relax your body..
soften any unnecessary tension in your belly and shoulder,
and find a posture that feels both relaxed and alert.

Now close your eyes
or look downwards
and rest your hands
in an easy effortless way.

Take a few moments
to scan your awareness
through the sensations of your body,
and wherever possible,
soften and release
obvious areas of physical tension.

Relax your breath,
and breathe in through your nose
and out through your mouth.
This may be a little unfamiliar,
but when done is a natural, easy going way,
it can be a very relaxing way to breathe.

In through your nose
and out through your mouth.

In through your nose
and out through your mouth.

Now let your belly be soft.
If the belly is soft,
more oxygen goes to the bottom of the lungs.

There’s better oxygen exchange.

Oxygen moves more easily into the blood,
and it goes to all the cells in the body,
including the cells in the brain,
supplying your brain with the nourishment it needs.

If the belly is soft,
it helps to activate the vagus nerve.

Vagus means wandering,
and this nerve wanders up
through the abdomen and chest,
back to the central nervous system in the brain,
and it promotes relaxation.

It is an antidote
to the fight or flight stress response.

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Meditation Scripts, Stress

Alleviate Stress With Three Deep Breaths

Alleviate Stress with Three Deep Breaths. This script guides the listener to adopt a simple stress release technique – that is, taking three deep breaths. It also includes positive affirmations that can help to shift the subconscious mind.

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[voice at the beginning of the session is serious yet calm and soothing, speaking at a slower yet comfortable speed] (words that are underlined should be emphasized and said with great passion)

Begin by taking a deep breath and hold it for 5 seconds…(pause for 5 seconds)…exhale and relax…(pause for 5 seconds)...take another deep breath, as deep as you can, and hold it, count for 5 seconds…(pause for 5 seconds) and as you exhale just imagine blowing out all of your stress…(pause for 5 seconds)...take a third deep breath and hold it…(pause for 5 seconds)...and as you exhale you blow out any stress you’ve been holding on to, saying to yourself “relax now”

[pause for 3 seconds, speaking now with confidence and at a normal pace of speech]

This is your new solution to stress.

Whenever you become stressed in the future, you simply take 3 fully in and deep breaths, holding it at the top of the inhalation for 5 seconds, and when you exhale, blow out any stresses that you feel.

And on the third breath as you exhale you simply say to yourself, relax now.

[Pause for 5 seconds] [speaking slowly with a soothing and gentle voice]

[Body Scan Induction]

Begin by slowly blinking your eyes, and with each number I say, blink once. (pause for 3 seconds in between each number) 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0.

Allow your eyes to gently close, and when you do this you feel a wave of relaxation sweep over you.

[speaking even slower now]

Now I’d like for you to focus on the sensations at the top of your head.

Just notice how the very top of your head feels.

[Pause for 5 seconds]

And now let your focus move down to your eyes.

Just notice how your eyes feel and ask them to relax even more.

The little movement in your eyes is called rapid eve movement and is completely normal.

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Blog, Stress

Manage Stress, Don’t Eliminate It

By Michael Weinberger

*This post originally appeared on A Plan for Living’s blog.

If you define stress as that crazy out-of- control feeling you get when you’re overwhelmed and under pressure, you’ve got it partially right.

Stress is your body’s reaction to difficult or challenging situations. Your heart rate increases, your breathing becomes faster, your muscles tighten and your blood pressure rises. You’re ready for action. It can create anxiety, disrupt sleep, contribute to overeating and alcohol addiction, and lead to depression. The long-term physical effects of stress on the body include a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.

Although too much stress can damage your emotional and physical health, stress also can be positive and energizing. Learning how to work with stress rather than becoming overwhelmed by it is one of the best things you can do for your own physical and emotional health.

People who learn to interpret stress as a physical reaction that helps get the job at hand done rather than a negative feeling to be suppressed don’t suffer from many of the negative side-effects of stress. Those who also know how turn to others for support actually recover more quickly from stress. Even better, people who reach out and help others in stressful situations build a strong resistance to stress in themselves.

It might just be the sense of control that determines whether stress is manageable or overwhelming. For example, when people feel like their work has meaning, when they have friends who support them and when they feel that their actions make a difference, they might still be busy and under pressure but they suffer fewer negative side-effects of stress.

–

That sense of control can come from within, too. Learning to let go of perfectionism, and cut yourself a little slack can be a very effective stress reliever. A mindfulness meditation practice can actually reshape your brain so that you become calmer and better able to handle stressful situations.

—

Michael Weinberger is a dynamic and inspiring speaker frequently asked to speak on topics including Mindfulness, Coping with Mental Illness and Addiction. He was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder in 1994 and has learned how to not only cope, but to thrive while living with his illness. Michael is the founder and creator of A Plan For Living, a digital mindfulness manager and wellness platform that can be found here in the App Store and here on Google Play.

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