Embracing Resilience: Self-Compassion Meditation for CAAs

Join me for a 10-minute meditation, designed to fit into your busy day whether you're on a work break or commuting, learn how to embrace your natural source of resilience.

Meditation begins around 4:33

This isn't just about managing stress; it's about nurturing an inner resilience that's often overlooked. By allowing positive qualities to infiltrate our thoughts and emotions, we reinforce the strength within us, reminding ourselves that resilience is cultivated, not inherited. Take this time to pause and reset, and let this practice be your much-needed break.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Awakened Anesthetist podcast,
the first podcast to highlightthe CAA experience.
I'm your host, mary Jean, andI've been a certified
anesthesiologist assistant forclose to two decades.
Throughout my journey andstruggles, I've searched for
guidance that includes my uniqueperspective as a CAA.

(00:24):
At one of my lowest points, Idecided to turn my passion for
storytelling and my belief thatthe CAA profession is uniquely
able to create a life by designinto a podcast.
If you are a practicing CAA,current AA student or someone
who hopes to be one, I encourageyou to stick around and

(00:45):
experience the power of being ina community filled with voices
who sound like yours, sharingexperiences you never believed
possible.
I know you will find yourselfhere at the Awakened Anesthetist
Podcast.
Welcome in.
Hello Awakened Anesthetistcommunity.
This is your host, mary Jean.

(01:06):
I have switched up my normalpodcast recording schedule.
I was supposed to put out aprocess episode today, but I
decided that it felt more rightto offer this mindfulness
meditation to you all.
It's going to be about 10minutes.
I'm envisioning you all beingable to do it on a break at work

(01:27):
or on your commute to work orfrom school or wherever you are
in your day where you can justpause for 10 minutes and enjoy
this meditation.
That's really from one CAA toanother.
When I was starting my ownjourney with mindfulness and
with meditation in general, Ireally found it hard to find

(01:47):
voices that felt familiar to me.
I couldn't quite dive all theway into the deep end and I
needed to sort of be edged inslowly with some science and
some research and just a voicethat felt pretty practical, and
so that's my take as a teacher.
I recently became a certifiedmindfulness meditation teacher

(02:08):
here in 2024.
And I love offering this typeof mindfulness meditation to
this Awaken Anestis community.
This is a little bit what we doin the mindful connections that
are being offered right nowthrough season four, and I want
to personally invite you tothose mindful connection
sessions.
If you're at all interested inmindfulness or really allowing

(02:31):
yourself a pause and resetduring your month, then these
would be really great sessionsfor you.
You can find more informationin the show notes.
Today's mindfulness session isreally going to be about
self-compassion, which can be alittle touchy-feely.
It can be a little hard toapproach, but I just figured,
with everything going on in theworld right now, you know, in

(02:54):
big macro level, like the USelection and, one way or the
other, everyone's thoughts andfeelings and emotions after that
as well.
As I know that there areprospective AA students out
there right now who are gettingacceptance and rejection letters
from the schools of theirchoice and trying to make some
big life decisions on what to donext and practicing CAAs here

(03:18):
in November are moving throughthe fourth quarter in medicine,
which is just an especiallychaotic time, the fourth quarter
in medicine, which is just anespecially chaotic time, and
with the holidays coming around,it's a real strain on your own
personal time and energy givingyourself both to the busiest
part of our work year and alsoto family commitments or
personal commitments.

(03:38):
So there's just so much goingon right now.
I'm really hoping thisself-compassion mindfulness
meditation can give you a senseof ease, can maybe feel like a
reset or a much-needed pause inyour day.
So, wherever you are, we'regoing to start getting settled
in.
I'm going to lead us throughthe beginning part where we'll

(03:58):
focus on our breath just toreally ground into the here and
now, and then I'll move us moreinto the self-compassion
practices.
Remember, you can take what youwant and leave the rest If you
just want to focus on breathingand tuning into yourself.
That's perfect and exactly whatyou should do.
If you want to follow alongwith all of the phrases and the

(04:22):
meditation, whether you'resaying it to yourself or
allowing me to speak it to you,that's also great.
This is really a time for you tochoose what's right.
So I invite you right now toget settled, feel your body in
the seat or your feet standingon the ground and start to tune

(04:50):
in to just your naturalbreathing.
We're not trying to manipulatethe breath in any way.
We're not trying to take realbig inhales or deep exhales, and
as you start to feel the breath, you can decide whether you
want your eyes opened or closed.

(05:12):
For this practice, I usuallyjust tune in to whatever I need
that specific day.
Usually one feels more rightthan the other, and if your eyes
are remaining open, you canjust softly focus them in front
of you, maybe cast it downwards.
You don't want to be lookingaround that oftentimes takes in

(05:36):
too much information, too muchsensory information.
So make the decision right nowfor yourself and keep tuning

(05:56):
into that natural rhythm ofbreathing Wherever you feel the
sensation of breathing the most,whether it's in your chest or
your belly, your upper lip,whether you feel it in the back
of your throat.
Just focus your attention rightthere on your natural breathing

(06:41):
.
This self-compassion practicetoday is going to be about being
with the discomfort ofuncertainty and, rather than
pushing away, we're going to beturning towards it and finding
our own strength and resilienceas we face maybe what we're
scared of our biggest emotions,our fear, discomfort,
uncertainty and as we do that,we're just going to keep

(07:04):
reminding ourselves that we aresafe, going to keep reminding
ourselves that we are safe, thatwe are capable, and bringing
that kind strong energy back toour own selves as you're

(07:34):
noticing your body breathing.
If it feels right to justcontinue that practice
throughout, something I like todo is note when my mind wanders
and I label that mind wandering,thinking whenever I notice it
and then return my attentionback to that sensation of breath

(07:55):
.
That mindfulness can reallybring your body and mind into
the same place and there's somany benefits just to be had
there, especially when you'refeeling uncertain or a lot of
discomfort.
So if you'd like to justcontinue with that breathing

(08:16):
practice of noting mindwandering with the word thinking
and returning back to thebreath, please continue.
And if you want to move on withme to more of a self-compassion
practice.
I invite you to place your handover your heart, maybe a hand on

(08:40):
your cheek, like you would asmall child, maybe your arms
wrapped around yourself likeyou're giving yourself a hug.
If that feels comfortable andsafe and warm for you, I invite
you to do that.
Or you can just keep your handspalm side down in your

(09:08):
awareness, away from your breath, and begin scanning your body
to see where the discomfort isactually lodged in your body.
If it's an emotional discomfortor physical discomfort.
Where are you feeling that inyour body?

(09:29):
Are you noticing the stress,the anxiety, the real physical
pain in your shoulders, in yourbrow line?
Do you have a headache, muscletension in your back or your

(09:56):
legs?
Does your heart feel heavy,your stomach churn?
Where in your body are younoticing the most discomfort?

(10:20):
When we're faced withuncertainty, discomfort, fear,

(10:49):
we often seek ways to change howwe feel or try to outthink it,
create to-do lists to try tosolve for it, or simply try our
best to ignore it.
This is different.
We're turning towards thatdiscomfort now, looking for its

(11:22):
location in our body.
If this ever gets too intenseor too much, you can return to
the natural sensation of breathand just watch your breath go in
and out your body.
And if you're still with me andyou've found the discomfort, the

(11:43):
worry, the fear, the sensationsof that in your body, I want
you to direct your attentionthere, while you listen to me
recite these phrases.
Please know that these phrasesare for you and if you'd like to
repeat them to yourself,directing them towards the part

(12:04):
of your body where you feel themost intensity, you can or you
can just allow my words to godirectly to wherever you're
feeling the strongest emotions,with your attention focused on

(12:32):
the spot in your body.
I want you to hear the phrase.
This is a moment where I feeldesperately uncertain, I'm
fearful, I'm really worried andI don't know what to do.
I know I can't avoid allsitting here feeling these hard

(13:15):
emotions.
Thank you for watching, becauseI continue to stay here with the

(13:42):
discomfort of uncertainty orfear.
I know I am capable of handlingmore than I give myself credit
for.
These difficult emotions maysometimes get the better of me,
but they always pass and Ialways make it through.

(14:05):
At this moment, right now, Iknow I am alright.
At this moment, right now, Iknow.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
I am all right.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
As you let those words infiltrate your body and
your mind.
Let's take just another fewbreaths, knowing that kindness
and compassion is something wecan always offer ourselves, and
in turn, it gives us a greatersense of our own resilience.

(15:07):
By seeing clearly that we arecapable of handling difficulty,
you'll train your mind to knowthat you are okay.
Just take just another couplemore moments to really let the

(16:03):
words and emotions settle, youcan gently begin turning away
from that sensation ofdiscomfort, fear or worry.
Maybe it's lessened, maybe it'sgrown in the spotlight.
Either way, begin turning yourattention back to the natural
sensation of your breathing.
If you've not yet, find thelocation in your body where you

(16:28):
feel the biggest sense of breathgoing in and out your body.
See if you can follow twoinhales and two exhales and,

(17:01):
when you feel ready, you canopen your eyes, if they were
closed.
Begin looking around.
I encourage you to sit inwhatever you're feeling right
now, reminding yourself that youjust did something so few

(17:24):
people do to really helpthemselves, build resilience, to
know that they're capable tofind strength to continue on.
It's all within you.
When you're ready,no-transcript.