Meditation: Calm, 7 Days of Managing Stress: Negative Self Talk Length: 11 minutes Where: Comfy Chair, Living Room, Los Angeles How It Felt: Warm and comforting
It’s gotten chilly in LA. It’s that time of year.
Last night, Steve and I were part of a segment for the People’s Choice Awards that filmed outside at night- in Santa Monica, no less. It was cold! When I got home, I couldn’t seem to warm up for hours.
So, for my meditation, I pulled the big reading chair closer to the fireplace, and I meditated there. It was sooooo cozy and perfect. I liked the lesson about letting negative self talk go, letting it float by like a cloud that you notice but don’t identify with. You can have a bad thought and choose to simply observe it, not taking it as reality, not taking it to heart. Understanding that just because you have a thought doesn’t mean it’s true. This is a strategy I employ frequently when I get a bout of depression and that mean voice shows up, and it’s helped reduce my suffering immeasurably in those times.
The whole experience of meditating last night felt like being wrapped up in a warm, comforting, soft sweater. Lovely.
Today was a bit of a sprint, as many days will be until Christmas. Still, Steve and I got to make dinner together, and to finally decorate for Christmas, and that was nice. Tigre has been extra cuddly the past couple of days, and extra cute, too. I finished my training today for a new, really fun side gig that actually pays me well to act (in improv form.) Acting! For money! My favorite. I’ve already got five gigs booked with them in the next two weeks alone!
Life has been wearing on me a bit lately- the monotony of some days, I guess. Wake up, make the bed, shower, dress, makeup, hair, work, dishes, laundry, feed cat, run errands, make dinner, eat, clean up, read, finish up more tasks, get ready for bed, undo everything you did that morning, brush teeth, stretch, get up and do it all over again….
You know?
Sometimes I need a little extra magic to make all the dull redundancy worth it, and I most often find that in my work, so it’s been a challenge to work so little the past two years. I mean, I’ve worked, but not doing what I love most.
So, the only thing to do is to jump back in fully (which I’ve been slow to do), keep auditioning, keep finding more creative things I love to do, stay inspired, and find a little extra magic wherever I can. Stay present. Find whatever blessings there are to be found in the smaller things, the tiny moments. Stay connected to people who make me feel like maybe I’m magic…like my incredible husband, as a great example. He never fails to do that.
At least our little tree is up. There is definitely a little holiday magic at home tonight! Happy for that.
My Year of Meditation 