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Micro wisdom delivered to your ears every morning in voice notes ranging from 3 to 15 minutes long. Wisdom on how to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. Every podcast will ground you in the present moment to ensure you know what's important, the here and now.
Hello, my name is Allie and I'm a cognitive behavioural therapist working for the NHS in West London. And today I want to go through a technique with you, which is called 'leaves on a stream'. Now this technique is really helpful for encouraging you to let go of worries, of negative thoughts, of things that do not serve you, which can sometimes be really hard to do. So, is a visualisation exercise that will enable you to become more relaxed and whilst you're in a relaxed mood, help to train you to be able to accept non judgementally your worries, your thoughts, just as thoughts, and then to allow them to pass through and out of your conscious awareness. So let's start by just getting comfortable, either sitting or lying somewhere that feels soothing and comfortable to you.
Speaker 1:And just close your eyes. You might want to take a few deep breaths in and out before we start. And then fall into a breathing pattern that feels regular and soothing for you. I'd like you to visualize yourself sitting or standing beside a gently flowing stream. This could be a stream that you have been to before, that you can bring into your memory, or it could be a stream that you have completely conjured out of your imagination.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter which. Really bring that to mind. On the top of the stream, want you to visualize that there are leaves floating along the surface of the water. Let's really bring this picture to life using our five senses. So, look around at what you can see.
Speaker 1:What are on the banks of the river? Maybe there are trees, or grass, or plants, or shrubs. Maybe there are animals or birds. Look around you. Look at the color of the sky.
Speaker 1:Are there clouds in the sky? What is the weather like today? Think about how you feel both physically and emotionally. Think about the temperature. Is it warm or cool where you are?
Speaker 1:And now use your ears to really listen in to the sounds of this river. What sound does the river itself make as it runs? What other sounds can you hear around you? Are there any smells? Maybe you can smell flowers or the scent of leaves.
Speaker 1:Now turn your attention to those leaves that are floating on the surface of the water. For the next few moments, I want you to just take each thought that enters your mind and place it on a leaf. Just imagine that you're pulling it out of your mind and putting it onto a leaf. Some people see this as whole sentences or jumbles of words, or even a little image that represents it, like a dark cloud, for example. Just put those on the leaf and let them float by.
Speaker 1:Practice doing this with any thought that enters your mind, whether it is a pleasant thought, a painful thought, or even a neutral thought that means nothing at all. Place these thoughts on your leaves and let them float by. If your thoughts stop for a moment, then just continue to watch the stream. Sooner or later, thoughts will start up again. Allow the stream to flow at its own pace.
Speaker 1:Don't try to speed it up or rush the thoughts along. We're not trying to get rid of or rush the thoughts away. You're allowing them to come and go at their own pace. We are allowing the thoughts to be present without judgement. We are just observing those thoughts, and then allowing them to move on.
Speaker 1:You might find that you have thoughts along the lines of this is really strange, I'm quite bored, or I don't think I'm doing this right. Place those thoughts on leaves too, with acceptance that they are just that, a thought, and let them pass away, away from you. If a leaf gets stuck, and is particularly difficult to shift, just allow it to hang around until it's ready to move on. If it comes around again, watch it float by another time without judgement. If a difficult or painful feeling arises, acknowledge it, saying to yourself, I'm having this feeling of frustration, or negativity, or impatience', whatever that thought is, or that feeling is, place those on leaves too, and just allow them to exist, and to move on by.
Speaker 1:You may notice that your thoughts hook you and distract you from time to time, and prevent you from being fully present in this exercise. That's fine. That's completely normal. Our brains are designed for this. Our minds are designed to wonder.
Speaker 1:As soon as you realize that you have become sidetracked, just be accepting of this without judgment. Put that thought on a leaf and gently bring your attention back to the stream and to the exercise. Just continue to do this for as long as you feel that you need to. Know that you can come back here whenever you need to place these thoughts on leaves, and watch them just float away in silent non judgmental acceptance. And when you're ready, just imagine yourself stepping away from the river, away from the banks, and coming back to the present moment and focusing on what's going on around you.
Speaker 1:Bringing some movement back into your body, to your hands and feet, legs and arms and head. Maybe stretching and just bring things back to the present moment. I hope you found this exercise enjoyable. The aim is to practice observing thoughts just as they are, Not judging ourselves for having the thoughts, not judging the thoughts themselves, not dwelling on them, but just observing them, noticing them without attaching any sort of emotional criteria to them and just allowing them to move on. Not allowing them to disrupt our day.
Speaker 1:I'd love to hear your thoughts on this exercise if you try it, so please do leave some comments on the turtle social media or on radio, for example. And I hope that you have an amazing day.