A meditation for moving forward

You may be reading this post and trying to make sense of what it means – a meditation for moving forward. Is it about helping yourself after experiencing loss? Or after a difficult moment where anxiety is high or feelings are hurt, such as after a fight with a loved one? Or is it rather around planning your next move on a day when you are disappointed in yourself, when life feels unfulfilling, when you’re stuck and feel like a failure? It’s actually a bit of all of those things.

The truth is, we all get stuck. We all experience suffering. We all feel hurt at times, either because we think life does not love us or because something someone said or did hurt us. Moving forward requires us first to recognize and acknowledge pain or disappointment. It asks of us, before moving in any direction, to start first by looking at the thoughts and feelings that are coming up for us in that moment. It means accepting that we are feeling grief, disappointment, sadness, anger, regret or any other painful emotion, and showing up for ourselves in those hard moments.

Everyone experiences difficult days, whether they are grieving a loss or just having a difficult day in which they are disappointed in themselves for something they did or didn’t do. To move forward from it – from this single moment - requires us to ask ourselves what we need in that moment, what could help us, starting by simply being kind to ourselves and accepting of ourselves. The grief that comes from loss, and how we live it and move forward after loss, is not a simple process. It is a long process and one that cannot be sped up in any way. But no matter what type of painful emotions we experience, one of the simplest, kindest things we can do for ourselves in that moment of suffering is to show compassion towards ourselves and the pain we are experiencing.

Start by putting your hands over your heart, closing your eyes and taking a few long, deep breaths.

Say to yourself: “This is a moment of suffering”

“I am feeling _______ [name the emotion]” (for example, “I am feeling sad and disappointed”, “I’m feeling anxiety and panic”,“I’m feeling hurt, rejected, criticized” or “I am feeling intense sadness because of the person I’ve lost who was always there for me”)

Chose two or three of any of the following (or come up with your own) to say to yourself, whatever feels most appropriate:

“May I be kind to myself.

May I know my worth.

May I accept myself as I am.

May I stay strong.

May I be filled with warmth.

May I be lacking nothing.

May I take the time that I need to work through this.

May I feel valid and remind myself that this is normal process.

May I recognize my own light.

May I love freely.

May I listen to myself and allow myself to have or ask for what I need.

May I be enough.

May I recognize that this moment does not define me or who I am.

The last step is to take a few more deep breaths, open your eyes and do something kind for yourself