A Meditation to Tap Into Your Agency When Things Are Chaotic & Uncertain

The feeling of being overwhelmed can be so uncomfortable that we often want to rush to get rid of it. Here’s an exercise to slow down, meet yourself, tap into your agency, and connect with clarity.

We often think of experiences like anxiety, uncertainty, or being overwhelmed by difficult emotions as a problem to solve. And of course, relief is normal. So how can you tap into your agency, even when things are spinning around you and you’re not sure how to proceed?

Today, teacher Chery Vigder Brause leads a guided practice centered around meeting ourselves where we are. In this pause, where we face ourselves without trying to fix anything, even if only for a moment, we actually create a space where we can be clear about how to respond to ourselves, others, and the world.

Cheryl Vigder Brause is a nationally recognized mindfulness and meditation teacher, author, and speaker, specializing in meditation and stress management programs for leading corporate clients, schools, and individuals nationwide. She is the co-founder of Pause to be Present, a mindfulness and meditation studio. To learn more about Pause to be Present’s programs, visit www.pausetobepresent.com.

A meditation for tapping into your agency when things are chaotic and uncertain

Pausing after each paragraph, read and follow the guided meditation script below. Or listen to the practice audio.

1. Today we will use our power to pause, to breathe, to calm our nervous system.and to choose how we want to meet the moment. Let’s begin. I invite you to arrive gently in the moment, where we are, rather than too busy going, doing, and moving in an effort to get somewhere else.
2. Get fully into the moment. Find a comfortable posture or position with your body. You can sit or lie down for this meditation. Get comfortable. Feel free to move around a bit until you settle the body into a comfortable and supportive posture. If you want, you can gently close your eyes or lower your gaze.
3. Breathe slowly, deeply, through the nose.. and release a long steady breath through the mouth. Notice how it feels. Notice how it feels to just stop all that forward momentum and allow yourself to be fully in the moment. Again, take a nice slow breath, feeling the air fill your lungs and torso. And then exhale slowly and fully. A sense of release of air and release of tension in the body. Another slow, deep breath together, inhaling fully, and exhaling.
4. Remind yourself that in this moment and in this meditation, you don’t need to do anything right now. You have no choice. to be There is nothing else in this moment that you need to fix or change or accomplish.
5. I invite you to pause to just be. Relax into the moment as you are. Consider how the bus feels here. Allow yourself to simply be present.
6. Consider what is here for you. Do you hear sounds around you? If so, just focus on them. Can you feel the coolness or warmth of the air on your skin? Can you feel your body making contact with the ground beneath you? Can you see what’s underneath you supporting you? Can you let yourself be supported?
7. Now, take a moment to relax the body. Sink into the ground beneath you. Notice if there are any areas of tension or tightness in your body. We often place our stress as tension in the body, in our muscles and in our back and neck and face. Learn about your body and where you may be experiencing tension, what feels tight or tight.
8. Here’s another moment of choice: The power of pausing just to be aware of how you are showing up in the moment and then how to stay in that movement. Are there areas of tension in the body? And if so, can you breathe in those areas? And as you exhale, can you easily invite? Can you release the stress? With each breath, create spaciousness and openness to any areas of tension or tightness. And with each breath, let one go.
9. Often in our busy modern lives, we are stressed, anxious, stressed or nervous. Another choice we can make every day is to use our ability to pause, connect inwardly, and regulate our nervous system. In fact, the greatest gift you can give to improve your health and wellness is a well-regulated nervous system. Not only does it promote health, it aids sleep and digestion, can improve focus and clarity, and help you make wiser choices as you navigate life.
10. Take another moment to check in. how do you feel What is your emotional landscape at the moment? You may feel tired, excited or nervous or anxious or relaxed. Just notice whatever is happening in your inner experience in that moment.
11. Gently bring your attention back to the feeling of the breath in the body. Notice where you feel the breath moving in and out. Notice how you can sit and breathe. Perhaps you feel the rise and fall of your chest, or the movement of your stomach, or the air passing in and out of your nostrils. Just notice where you feel that breath and focus your attention there for just a few moments. No need to change the breath. Just let its natural and easy rhythm move in and out of your body. With each breath, feel the expansion in the torso. With each breath, imagine the body receiving the message, Softening is okay. It’s safe to slow down. You can say to yourself silently, as you breathe in, I calm the body.. And as you exhale, I soften and release.. breathing, I calm my body. breathing, I soften and release..
12. Take a few more slow, deep breaths. With each breath, create space and openness in the body. With each exhalation, comes the opportunity to relax, let go, let go.
13. Your mind will wander, and that’s okay. This is a moment of reflection, a moment of choice. You notice that your mind has gone and become distracted, and you are developing the power to keep your attention where you want it. Bring this attention back to your breath without judgment, without criticism, and gently. Each noticing that the mind has thought is not a failure, it is a moment of mindfulness, a moment of care, a moment of choice, a moment of gentleness with yourself, an opportunity to use that mental power where you want to focus your attention. It’s a beautiful reminder that every moment is an opportunity to start over.
14. Now slowly bring your awareness throughout your body. Notice how it feels to sit. See if, in the next few moments, you can choose to let go of the need to change anything. To let go of any reflexive criticism, any idea that you’re doing it wrong. See if you can hold yourself in gratitude for just showing up for this meditation with an open heart and open mind. Notice how it feels. Whatever experience you experience, see if you can choose to meet your experience and yourself with kindness. This is another choice we have.
15. Try this sentence: What if it’s not a problem? What if I am experiencing pain in the moment? And what if it’s not a problem? What if my mind is engaged in this movement? And isn’t that a problem? What if I’m feeling anxious at this moment? And what is the problem? It’s a choice we can make every day. Not to solve life’s challenges as a problem or as a sign that something is wrong, but instead to choose to meet our experience with curiosity and to see what is happening in the moment as an opportunity to learn and grow and navigate with greater ease, less resistance.
16. Put your hand on your heart if you want. Feel the warmth of your own touch, and silently offer yourself these gentle words, allowing them into your heart and mind. I am kind to myself in this moment. May I meet myself gently as I am. May I know that in each moment I have the power to pause and choose how to meet myself, how to meet others and how to meet the world with care and tenderness.
17. Let’s breathe together, take a good breath, breathe in. And begin to feel the whole body grounded, easily supported, as you exhale a beautiful breath.
18. As we come to the end of this meditation.Consider for a moment the idea that this moment and every moment you can practice mindfulness, awareness, and choice. Every moment is a new opportunity to practice, a new beginning. As this new year begins, know that you can return again and again to this place of presence, tenderness, existence, and love.
19. When you are ready, slowly bring your awareness back to the room you are in. You can wiggle your fingers and toes. And when it feels right, I invite you to gently raise your gaze or open your eyes. Thank you so much for practicing with me.