A Meditation For When It All Feels Like Too Much
A Meditation For Stress, Grief, & Overwhelm
The last few years have shaken loose our lives. Our structures, routines, and even basic identities have undergone immense transition. The world has asked so much of us; it continues to. In the thick of the most challenging moments, we wonder how the world continues spinning. Does anything seem as important as it did before (whatever “before” means anyway)?
Whatever stress, grief, and overwhelm you are experiencing, know that you are not alone. Know that it will eventually pass. Know also that these words are here to serve you today, tomorrow, and every day forth. In the times you need it most.
When you’re ready, settle into a comfortable space and close your eyes. Take a deep inhale, letting the air travel through your nostrils and swirl into your lungs. Imagine each atom floating and frozen in place as you sit in the stillness. At this moment, you are okay. Envision yourself embraced in safety; in the tender embrace of a parent, the chest of a partner, or the lap of a grandparent.
“Imagine each atom floating and frozen in place as you sit in the stillness.”
If sitting in stillness brings you stress rather than calm, then turn to the outdoors—head towards a park or a path, wherever you feel most grounded. Examine the fresh buds growing out of the grass, concrete, or even the snow. Notice last year’s perennials showing new leaves for a new year; how nature grows against all odds, determined to fight on.
And then, whether you’re sitting, walking, or running, take a deep breath and bring to mind your heaviness. Whatever stress, grief, or overwhelm you’re feeling, let yourself feel it in full, if just for a moment. Maybe it’s a twinge in your eyes and nose, right before tears. Maybe it’s a pit in your stomach. Notice how your body reacts without labeling or defining it. Allow yourself to be human—to feel whatever comes, to respond naturally without holding back.
Inhale. Now exhale.
As you inhale again, envision your past self. Who you were right before your life irrevocably changed—whether that was yesterday, a month ago, a year ago, or even today. As you release your breath, come back to the present and pause for a moment of gratitude for all of your inner strength—for your resilience, your tenacity, your grace.
Think of all that your past self has been through to get to where you are now. You’ve arrived here, you’ve made it—despite the trials and tribulations that have been thrown your way.
“Sometimes the best thing we can do is sleep and wake with fresh resolve.”
Now, with your next breaths, imagine it’s tomorrow, because sometimes the best thing we can do is sleep and wake with fresh resolve.
With your eyes closed, see yourself rising with the dawn—whatever your ideal dawn looks like—rugged peaks over a horizon, a meadow of blooming sunflowers, the nook of your loved one’s arm.
In your next inhale, know that tomorrow, your pain will feel different than it does now—even if it ebbs and flows. You can assign it a weight if you want; maybe soon you will be an ounce or gram of grief lighter. Maybe just one ounce or gram, but every bit helps.
With another breath, envision yourself a week or a month from now, six months from now. Allow yourself the gift of manifestation and foresight: Give your future self what it needs to forge ahead. If you know you’ll need extra kindness, hope, solitude, give it to yourself here and now. Combine your past selves and now-present gifts.
“Allow yourself the gift of manifestation and foresight: Give your future self what it needs to forge ahead.”
Recognize in your future self that your grief will be lighter, more than what feels possible at this moment. Remember that hearts may break, but they can also heal. There will be joy, laughter, love, hope, and opportunity again. Most of all, ground yourself in knowing you will find yourself again.
Then, when you’re ready, wrap your arms lovingly around yourself. Apply gentle pressure as if it’s a weighted blanket or sponge, squeezing out the bad—negative energy, toxic behaviors, heartbreaking news, whatever it is that feels like too much.
Simultaneously, let the pressure pack in the good, pressing inward your courage, your determination, your kindness. Press into your body with the rhythm of your breath.
Repeat for as long as you need. xx
Henah Velez (she/her) is an Editor at The Good Trade. She holds a Master's in Social Entrepreneurship and is a proud Rutgers grad. Originally from NJ, Henah’s now in Santa Barbara, CA, where she loves shopping small, hanging with her pets, or traveling. Say hi on Instagram!
