Eating Disorders Meditation 06

Transcript

Hello, welcome back to our eating disorder meditation series. My name is Nicole, and I feel so grateful to be on this amazing journey with you. I hope some of our past meditations have helped you think about yourself and your eating disorder a little differently.

Please begin by getting yourself into a comfortable seated or lying position. Start by acknowledging your breath. Does your breath feel like today? Have you paid it any attention? It’s okay, if you haven’t. We often move through our days without giving our breath a second thought.

But now let’s give it some more awareness. practice breathing as you have learned.

Inhale for 5- 2,3,4,5 – let’s do this a few more times.

Inhale 1,2,3,4,5. Inhale 1,2,3,4,5 inhale 1,2,3,4,5.

Today we are going to talk about the role of gratitude in recovery. Gratitude is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. It’s free, accessible to anyone. And it does not rely on any external factors.

Let’s focus on the gratitude you feel within yourself right now. What do you love about yourself? What are you proud of yourself for doing or trying? Why are you grateful for your body today? What amazing thing has it done lately?

Don’t judge whatever comes up. Your answers are valid, even if they felt difficult to come up with.

Take a moment to reflect on this gratitude. Give yourself a big hug, wrapping your arms around your chest. You can stay here or release and move back into a comfortable position.

Now let’s move just outside of you. Consider your immediate physical space. Where are you? What? Or who is nearby? What gratitude do you feel for those particular people or things? How lucky are you to have them? What gifts have they brought to your life?

Now let’s expand into your greater community. Your support your work or school? The places you enjoy visiting. Take a moment and think about how grateful you feel to have this limitless world. A world’s full of opportunity and wonder.

Let’s move to your eating disorder. Do you feel any gratitude for the lessons your recovery has taught you so far? Maybe you appreciate that it’s helped to become more vulnerable or expressive. Perhaps you appreciate your newfound strength or self esteem.

It’s okay if you can’t think of anything specific right now. It can be hard to feel grateful for something that is likely caused you pain and anguish. But as we grow and heal, we can learn how to nurture ourselves. Even if we’ve been hurt.

We can also learn how to forgive parts of ourselves, including eating disorders, and the potential traumas they inflicted. You may even develop a gratitude. your eating disorder brought you to where you are today into the vibrant whole, dazzling being that you truly are. What a precious gift.

Let’s take another couple breaths right here. Notice any tension that may be lurking in your body. Soften the space between your eyebrows. Detach the tongue from the roof of your mouth. On clench your jaw. Just let your body lie still and calm.

Gratitude is an active process. It’s a choice. And you can choose to embrace a grateful perspective at any point in your life.

You can even be grateful when things are hard. Because through the hard things, we gain perspective, and resilience. And through your recovery, you are gaining these valuable and irreplaceable gifts.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on three things you may take for granted. Three things look around you if you need some inspiration. Do you spot any specific objects that bring you joy? Or make your life a little easier? Is there someone in your life who supports guides or teaches you any recent experiences that made you feel happy or safe?

In your mind right now I want you to label these three things. Breathe and reflect on why you feel grateful for them. What do they add to your life?

How can you be more appreciative of them moving forward. This is a simple gratitude exercise that you can do anywhere. But don’t mistake simplicity for insignificance. Gratitude is one of the greatest skills you can cultivate.

When you are truly grateful, it’s very hard for anything to get you down. Grateful people don’t always have the best lives, but they make the best of their lives. They choose an attitude that allows them to embrace what is.

Imagine what that could feel like if you did that. Just for today. Just as an experiment.

I want you to commit to this practice as you end your meditation today. Take a deep breath and tell yourself today I will focus on my gratitude. Today I will focus on my gratitude. Just note how that statement lands in your body. Let it take as much space as it needs.

You are going to move forward today with the sense of wonder and appreciation. You are going to give yourself a fabulous gift.

I am so excited for you and I look forward to the next time we meet.

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