Feeling Compassion

I used to think that feeling compassion meant allowing another person to feel. Of course it does, but it is also saying yes to feeling whatever comes up for you when you are watching others struggle. I am discovering that I can feel my own sense of sadness and pain when I watch my loved ones struggle. So I wrote a new song to create a safe environment for everybody's feelings. 

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Welcome to Guided Harmonies, the podcast where I put words to my therapeutic music. My name is Margaret Dahlberg, and I created these episodes to provide short moments in which we can reconnect. All you need to do is listen with a gentle curiosity. Even if you doze off, it's not a big deal because the music and your brain are doing the real work. Your unconscious brain responds to the vibrations of the music. So when you come back to presence, you find you feel better. Today's episode is a new song that I wrote this week. I've been supporting a loved one as they are trying to find their way from a difficult place. I'm learning that for me, the hard part about watching somebody else struggle is that I sometimes jump to fixing. Now I know this is a common thing, but recently I realized that I wasn't jumping to fix as much as to help that person as to avoid feeling my own pain that comes with watching somebody I love suffer so much. So I wrote feeling compassion to teach myself to stay with my own feelings that come with watching a loved one struggle. Staying with that feeling instead of trying to fix it away by helping them is a big ask for me. When I can do that, I can support them in a more grounded way. Ultimately, this feels more loving and really more effective. But it's also saying yes to processing my own challenging feelings. I feel I've reached a new level of compassion, but now it means I have to process my own feelings of pain and suffering that come with watching someone I love go through difficult times. Let's get started. Sit back or lie down if you are able and close your eyes. Just let these harmonies guide you to a better place. Allow these low strings to create a sensation of being held while they vibrate throughout your body. However you are, wherever you are, whatever you are now. This is intended to create a feeling of being soothed and comforted. The low strings allow you to feel grounded and safe. Are your breaths smooth? How much of your torso fills with air as you inhale? There is no need to change anything. Trust your body to breathe as it needs now. Check in with your body as the piano creates a sensation of being rocked. Can you let go and allow a heaviness? How heavy do you feel? Check in with your limbs. Notice if there's any unnecessary holding. Are your muscles poised and awaiting the words to guide you? Can you allow yourself to sink in and let these words come to you? Do a body scan and just breathe. Start with your toes and work your way up at your own pace, moving up your body and inviting, letting go. You can let go here, and you can be here and simply feel held and cared for. Thank you for joining me today. Do you want me to compose you your own guided harmony? It's a pretty simple process. Have a wonderful day, and know you have invested in your own wellness. And this will reach those around you.