Positive Meditation Exercise: Changing Your “Tape”
My lovely friend Tess Chalis (healthy chef and wellness coach extraordinaire of Radiant Health/Inner Wealth) wrote an excellent description of this concept. I thought I would share it with you here. This is a wonderful ritual to simply process your day, peacefully accept it and sleep a little better without so many anxious thoughts plaguing you.
Changing Your Tape!
An unexamined state of mind is like a tape that is playing over and over.
The tape continues to play the same thoughts, fears, and habits every day. The tape player (your real self) lives in accordance with your tape because that’s your “program.” Nothing much changes when you just sit back, unconsciously letting that same old tape play.
How do you change your tape? The easiest, most natural way to begin a cycle of positive change is with awareness. Observe your tape. Reflect on it. Rewind it and check it for defects. By doing so, you will soon become consciously in control of what you’re allowing to happen in your life.
Every evening, you can put this into practice by rewinding your day. Review what has gone on that day. Be aware of everything that you did right. Be grateful for all of the little things that went well.
Next, reflect upon how you could have done things differently. Try to be thankful for the things that did not go well also, as they are opportunities for you to grow. See if you can change your consciousness about them. Imagine yourself being faced with those same situations and handling them ideally. It is as if you are visualizing yourself going through the same day you just lived, but in a much more conscious, positive way.
Exercise: Before bedtime, set aside ten minutes to sit quietly and comfortably. Close your eyes and begin to “watch” your day, starting from the moment you woke up. Do your best to see it from a detached, observational standpoint without judging yourself or becoming emotionally attached to what you are watching. View yourself with compassion, love, and kindness.
Next, visualize yourself being faced with those same situations, but this time see yourself acting, speaking, and thinking in higher ways. In a nutshell, you are visualizing yourself living the day you just went through, but as your highest self.
If you can, do this practice every day for a month and journal your progress. I can tell you for a fact that if you take just ten minutes to do this every evening before bed, you will begin to align with your ideal self without even trying. It’s that powerful!