For the last week of Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m sharing another guided visualization inspired by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This one is called Waves in the Ocean.
As a metaphor, this practice is designed to support you in acknowledging your emotions without being overtaken by them. The premise is simple, yet powerful: emotions (and all of our experiences) are like waves. They rise, peak, and eventually pass. But when we get caught in the riptide by resisting them, or holding on, we often end up feeling overwhelmed, consumed, or stuck.
This practice gently invites you to observe and expand to become the ocean that holds all your waves, rather than identifying with the waves themselves. As you listen, you’ll be guided to notice what you’re feeling, name it, and let it move through you with compassion and care.
Mindfulness has helped me return to this inner spaciousness, especially during moments of anxiety, heartbreak, or uncertainty. Instead of bracing against the discomfort, I’ve learned that softening into it with compassion can be the beginning of real healing.
You don’t need to fix, change, or judge anything. Just show up.
Warmly,
Elana
