Hi.
Settle in however you like.
Sitting, lying down, it doesn't matter.
If you've been hard on yourself lately...
you're in the right place.
Let your eyes close, or rest your gaze on the floor.
Breathe in slowly...
And breathe out, letting your belly go soft.
Once more.
In...
And out.
Think of something you've been beating yourself up about.
Not the biggest thing.
medium.
Something Maybe a mistake at work.
Or the way you snapped at someone you love.
Let yourself feel it a little.
Where does it land in your body?
Maybe a tight throat.
Maybe a heavy stomach.
Now say to yourself, quietly...
This is hard right now.
That's all.
No lecture.
Just naming it.
Picture a city at night.
Hundreds of lit windows.
Behind a lot of them, someone is lying awake over something they got wrong.
You're not the only one.
Not even close.
Someone out there made the same mistake this week, and felt just as silly.
Struggling like this is part of being a person.
It doesn't mean you're failing at it.
Say it to yourself...
Other people feel this too.
Now place a hand somewhere that feels comforting.
Over your heart, maybe.
Or one hand holding the other.
Feel the warmth of it.
The slight pressure.
Your body knows this kind of touch.
It's the way you'd hold a friend.
Breathe in under your hand...
And breathe out, letting yourself be held...
by you.
Now think of what a good friend would say to you right now.
Someone who's really on your side.
Let their words come.
Maybe it's something simple, like "hey, go easy."
Notice how different that sounds from the voice you usually hear.
Try saying these to yourself.
I'm doing the best I can with what I have.
I can be kind to myself in this.
I'm still learning, and that's allowed.
One mistake isn't the whole of me.
If the critical voice jumps back in, that's normal.
It's an old habit.
You don't have to argue with it.
Just keep your hand where it is.
Rest here for a while.
Just you, being a bit gentler with you.
You don't have to earn this.
You can just have it.
Slowly let your hand rest back down.
Notice how you feel now.
Even a small shift counts.
Take a deep breath in...
And let it out slowly.
When you're ready, open your eyes.
Talk to yourself like that friend would,
just for today.