0:01

Welcome back to Breathing Space, the quietest corner of the Internet.

I'm Sam Jarvis.

Tonight's meditation is a little different.

It's designed to help you stop a panic attack in its tracks.

If you find that you can feel something building on the horizon, or you're in the midst of the storm, then take a moment to yourself here.

0:23

Come to a comfortable position as best you can.

Perhaps you're in the comfort of your own bed, maybe you prefer to sit, or perhaps in moments like these you find the floor rather grounding for you and would rather rest down there for a moment.

0:40

Wherever you find yourself, if you can, try to soften your brow, let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth and release your shoulders.

Allow them to come away from your ears.

Draw a slow, steady breath in through your nose, hold it for just a moment, and sigh out in relief.

1:10

Breathe with me once more in through your nose.

Hold on to it for a moment and sigh out slowly through your mouth.

Whatever it is that you're dealing with, whether you know what has led to this response or not, know that everything is going to be OK.

1:35

You are safe, you are not in any real danger, you are not alone, and this feeling will pass sooner than you realise.

Let's focus on steadying your breath and finding distraction.

1:52

Begin by centring your attention on the sound of my voice.

Breathe in through your nose, slow and steady for 123.

Hold for a moment and sigh out for 4321.

2:14

Inhale for one 2-3 and exhale for 432. 1 Inhale for 123.

2:34

Hold it and sigh out for 5432 and one breathe in for 123.

2:50

Hold for a little longer and exhale for 5432 and 1.

Inhale for one 2-3 and sigh out for 654321.

3:21

Draw a final deep breath in for one 2-3 and exhale.

Slow and steady for 65432 and one.

3:42

Feel the stress and strain of the day draining from your mind and your muscles.

Inhale, hold, and as you sigh out, let the stress and strain bound up in your body flow from you with the tide of your breath.

4:05

As the natural rhythm of your body begins to slow, lean into it.

Let your breath roll in, slow and steady, easy and even, as you sink deep into relaxation, if you can release the muscles of your core, soften your shoulders once more.

4:33

And as you settle deeper into relaxation, take a moment to draw your attention outward, away from your worries and out into the world.

Listen first into the sound you can hear in your immediate environment.

4:51

Count them if you like, filtering through each individual noise.

The fan, the sound of my voice, the sheets beneath you, the gentle sound of your breath drifting slowly in and out.

5:11

Now draw your attention further out to the building you're in.

Perhaps you can hear the sound of ATV or radio drifting down the hallway beyond the building you find yourself in.

5:27

Does the traffic come on the road outside?

Do the birds tweak from the trees?

Can you hear the gentle patter of rain falling outside, or the rolling of the clouds above the clouds?

5:45

Perhaps you can hear the cosmos sink and settle into the quiet that washes between the stars.

Breathe it in and out.

Perhaps from out there you can hear the fire crackle on the surface of the sun, or the sound of the solar system cutting through space and time.

6:11

Breathe in and sigh out in relief.

From up here you can finally gain a little more perspective.

The earth looks small from where you are.

Beautiful, but small.

6:30

The people that crowd it seem even smaller from so far away, and perhaps their problems seem a little less significant when viewed from so far off.

Breathe in and out, and as you do, perhaps you find that some of the pressure you put on yourself to perform, to meet expectations, to succeed, to be further along on life's path, begins to lift.

7:03

Here, in this moment, you can see the truth of your existence on a rock remarkable enough to sustain life, flying through space in a Galaxy we haven't yet the tools to fully explore, in a universe of galaxies, perhaps just like it, or maybe not too much like the Milky Way at all.

7:29

Just by being here, by being a part of the Earth's story, you have achieved something truly remarkable already.

You find yourself on perhaps the only inhabited planet amid billions at a time when we have comfy beds and take away aeroplanes and electronic toothbrushes.

7:53

Simply by being here on this planet at this exact moment in time, you've already achieved something astounding.

Breathe in and out.

Inhale and exhale, feeling each breath restore your reserve of calm.

8:18

Remind yourself, breath by breath, that really all there is for you to do is enjoy the gentle tanning of the earth beneath your feet.

There is nothing you must do, no one you must impress.

8:36

You are already more than enough as you are in this very moment.

If ever you feel worry winding into your body, know that the world is wide and time is always carrying us into the future.

8:54

This feeling, this fear you are experiencing is fleeting, is not who you are, and will pass sooner than you realize.

On your next in breath, welcome the calm and quiet of the universe into your body.

9:15

As you exhale, release any anxieties still bound up in your mind or muscles.

If you can, repeat the following affirmations after me.

I am calm, I'm relaxed, I release anxiety.

9:40

This is just a panic attack.

I know I am safe.

I love myself.

I am loved.

I am calm, my mind is clear, I trust my body.

10:01

I know I am really OK.

I love and accept myself.

I am calm, my body is relaxed, my mind is quiet.

I'm at peace.

10:20

I'm loved.

I deserve to relax.

This is just a panic attack.

This feeling is temporary.

Great things are coming for me.

I'm healthy, I'm safe.

10:41

I breathe in calm and I release fear and anxiety with my out breath.

I welcome calmness and confidence on my in breath.

As you begin to find calmness, know that you can always come back to this meditation or continue to play through it if you need to.

11:09

If you'd like a little more distraction, then why not listen to one of the relaxing stories featured on this podcast feed?

Thank you for listening and feel better soon.

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