Grownups, the “mental time travel” technique used in this episode is also known as temporal distancing, and can be a useful tool in putting emotional distress into perspective.

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Like You is a production of Perpetual Motion. The show is written and produced by Noah Glenn. The show’s artwork was illustrated by Mia Saine. Episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn.

This episode features original music by Noah Glenn. 

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Noah: Hey everyone! Listener support is what makes this podcast possible. When you sign up for a Like You Subscription you gain access to special bonus content. Please consider supporting the show by subscribing through Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks! And here’s today’s show.

[intro music]

Noah: Hello! I’m Noah and this is Like You, a mindfulness podcast for kids. I’m so glad you’re here! On today’s episode, we’ll learn how to time travel in our minds, as a way to help us get through difficult moments. So listeners of all ages, find a place to listen where you feel comfortable and safe. As I ask questions and invite you to say affirmations, you’re welcome to speak out loud, or as always, you can just think your responses quietly in your mind.

Let’s get things started with a breathing exercise. As always, focusing on your breathing is a good way to focus your mind and your energy, and way to help you deal with overwhelming feelings. Sometimes it helps to combine deep breathing with other tools for calming our nerves. So this time, we’ll trying shaking and wiggling our hands to loosen up as we breathe. Try loosening your hands with a little shake and wiggle now. Great. Now you’ll do that each time you breathe out. Let’s try it. Take a long breath in. 1-2-3. Then a long breath out as you wiggle and wave your hands 1-2-3. Another deep breath in. 1-2-3. And a long breath out as you shake your hands. Long breath in. 1-2-3. And a long breath out shake-shake-shake. Last time. Breathe deep. 1-2-3. And let it out as you shake your hands around 1-2-3.

Now on the count of three let’s all say I like me. 1-2-3. I like me.

I like you too. From the moment you were born until the time you grow old, you will always be wonderful just the way you are.

Now let’s talk about something I call mental time travel. Mental means it happens inside your mind. It’s a way to remember that the things that are challenging or upsetting us in the present, will not always be that way. When something happens that makes you feel sad or angry or embarrassed, it can be very natural to focus all our thoughts on those difficult feelings, to the point that it might be hard to imagine that things will ever get better. That’s the perfect time to do some mental time travel. Here’s how it works. Close your eyes. Imagine you are sitting in a time machine. You can use your imagination to invent what you think the time machine looks like. Now we’ll turn on the time machine by taking a deep breath in and out. Imagine that the time machine can take you to a moment in the future. It might be 10 years in the future, or a few weeks, or even just a couple of minutes. Once you’re in the future you can look back at the thing that’s bothering you from a different perspective, and ask yourself a few questions. Do you think this thing will still be bothering you in a few days or months or years? Will you even be thinking about it at all? After asking these questions you can imagine positive version of the future where your problem is solved and you barely even remember this thing happened.

For example, imagine that you got into a fight with your best friend. Both of you are feeling hurt and angry, and your friend says they don’t want to be around you right now. That would be an upsetting situation. You might be worried that it’s never going to change. So try closing your eyes and boarding your time machine. Take a deep breath and imagine traveling 1 month into the future. Ask yourself these questions.

Will I still be feeling upset one month from now?

Will my friend and I still be fighting a month from now?

Now try imagining a positive version of the future. You step out of your time machine, and you discover that you and your friend have apologized, made up, and had a dozen playdates. Whatever caused the disagreement has been forgotten.

Here’s another example. Imagine that you were in a rush to get ready for school, and you didn’t realize you put on two different color socks until you got to school. Maybe you feel embarrassed about this. Maybe another kid even makes a joke about your mismatched socks. You might feel like you want to hide under your desk. You might even worry that you’ll never live this down and will forever be known as the mismatched sock kid. So let’s try mental time travel again.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in and out, and send yourself one year into the future. Ask yourself these questions.

Will I still feel this way a year from now?

Will any one even remember this a year from now?

Now imagine a positive version of the future. You step out of your time machine, and you find that you are a year older and wiser, and no one is talking about or thinking about that one time you wore two different socks. 365 days have passed and thousands of other things have happened. Maybe you’ve even done a few other embarrassing things. But every thing has come and gone and time has kept moving on.

Now that you’ve got the idea behind mental time travel, let’s see if you can try it with something that bothered you today, or maybe even something bothering you right now. Take a moment to think about the last thing that upset you or worried you. It can be something big or small.

Once you’ve thought of something, close you eyes, board your time machine and take a deep breath in and out. Pick how far into the future you’d like to travel. And ask yourself a few questions. Will you still feel this way? Will you still be thinking about this thing?

Now imagine a positive version of the future, where your problem is solved and forgotten.

Great job. Next time you feel like a difficult moment is never going to pass, try this mental time travel exercise and see if it helps you remember that no moment and no feeling will last forever. Good things and bad things, happy moments and sad moments. They all come and go. So don’t let yourself feel trapped in the current moment, when you know the future will have so much to offer.

Now it’s time for affirmations. Affirmations are words you can say about yourself to remind yourself how wonderful you are. You can say them out loud or inside your head. I’ll say each affirmation twice. So you can listen the first time, then say it together with me the second time.

All my problems have solutions.

I can do hard things.

Every day I will learn and grow.

I am better than I was yesterday.

My positive thoughts create positive feelings.

I have the power to create change.

My future is my own.

I’m proud of who I am, and who I will be.

Now let’s smile and take a few slow, deep breaths as we wind down our time together. If any of those affirmations stood out to you, feel free to write them down, or just store them safely in your mind to say when you need it. If you have an affirmation that is special to you, I would love to hear it! You can even send a recording of an affirmation to play on the show. Have a grownup check our website or show notes for more information.

I’d like to end this episode with a song  called It Won’t Be This Way Forever. Feel free to just relax and listen, or to practice your mental time travel as I sing.

It won’t be this way forever
I won’t feel this way forever
Night time never lasts forever
The sun will rise again
When I’m bored
I’ll remember
It won’t be this way forever 
When I’m tired
I’ll remember
It won’t be this way forever
When I’m angry
I’ll remember
It won’t be this way forever
When I’m sad
I’ll remember
It won’t be this way forever
When I’m worried
I’ll remember
It won’t be this way forever
It won’t be this way forever
I won’t feel this way forever
Night time never lasts forever
The sun will rise again

I can’t wait to spend some time together again soon. Until then, I like you, I’m proud of you, and I’m glad we are friends. Have a happy and peaceful day.

Like You is a production of Perpetual Motion. It is made possible by our subscribers on Apple Podcasts and Patreon. Become a supporter by tapping “subscribe” on our show page in Apple Podcasts, or by visiting Patreon.com/likeyoupodcast. You can also tell your friends about the show or leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to podcasts. Like You is written and hosted by me, Noah Glenn. I also composed and performed the Like You theme music and other music that appeared in the episode. Our podcast cover art was illustrated by Mia Saine. Our episode art is created by Lindsey Glenn. Grownups can find more information about Like You by visiting our website at likeyoupodcast.com. Thanks for listening.