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Please send us a voice memo, drawing, or letter at hello@likeyoupodcast.com. We play a voice memos from listeners either at the beginning of an episode or during the affirmation segment of the episode. If your child wants to be included, record a voice memo and send it to us. Your child can introduce themself and then say a favorite affirmation, sing a line from a Like You song, say what they like about the show, or share whatever they feel! Keep it short (10-20 seconds). For more info on how to record and send a voice memo, see this post.

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: This episode of Like You is sponsored by Hatch. Mindfulness can help you wind down before bed, and the Hatch Rest has exclusive content to help. Learn more about Hatch in this episode’s show notes and get $5 off Rest with code LIKEYOU. And as always Like you is made possible by our subscribers on Patreon and Apple Podcasts. Subscribe now for bonus content and other subscriber perks. And now on to the show!

[intro music]

Dylan: Hello, my name is Dylan and I live in the UK and I’m seven years old, and my favorite mindfulness podcast of yours is Making Mindful Lemonade. Thank you!

Noah: Hello! I’m Noah and this is Like You, a mindfulness podcast for kids. I’m so glad you’re here! Thank you to Dylan for sending me that message. I always love to hear from kids about their favorite parts this podcast. So if any other listeners want to share your favorite affirmation, sing me a song from the podcast, or tell me about how mindfulness has helped you, please send me a voice memo. You can have a grownup check the show notes or our website for more information. On this episode, we’ll think back through the happiest moments of our day and wrap up some presents to give to future you. So listeners of all ages, find a place to listen where you feel comfortable and safe. I invite everyone listening to be a part of this podcast – That means you! You can use your imagination, share your thoughts, and speak up when I ask questions or invite you to say affirmations. Of course, if you’d rather just think things quietly in your mind, that’s ok too.

Let’s begin with a breathing exercise to help calm your body and clear your mind. In this exercise we’ll imagine blowing away grey rain clouds to create a beautiful sunny day. So close your eyes if that helps you imagine. In your mind, picture a dull rainy day. The sky is so full of grey rain clouds that you can’t even see the sun. Sometimes our feelings can feel a bit like a cloud hanging over our heads too. If you’ve had a rough day, or if you’re feeling sad or worried or frustrated, it might feel like your head is crowded with stormy clouds. So let’s blow those clouds away.

Take a deep breath in through your nose 1-2-3, then blow through your mouth and imagine a few of the cloud blowing away. Things are still cloudy and grey, so we’re going to try this a few more times. Take another deep breath in through your nose 1-2-3. And blow long and hard to blow more clouds away. Another deep breath in 1-2-3. And another long breath blowing out. Imagine you can see the sunlight starting to creep in between the clouds. One more blow and the sky will be totally clear. You can do this. Take a deep breath in 1-2-3. And blow all the rest of the clouds away. Great work. Now the sky is clear and blue. You feel the warm sun shining down, and you feel a cool breeze blowing. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Take another deep relaxing breath. Imagine the smell of grass and flowers and trees filling your nose, then let out a satisfied sigh. Feel free to open your eyes if you had them closed. Or keep them closed if you’re feeling relaxed and you’d like to stay that way.

Now on the count of 3 we’ll all say I like me. 1-2-3 I like me!

I like you too. You are like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day.

Now I want you to turn your attention to today. If you’re listening at bedtime, this is a great time to reflect on the happy moments from the day. If you’re listening at another time of day, feel free to think back about things that happened yesterday or earlier this week. Most days are filled with ups and downs. Happy moments and sad moments. Excitement and disappointment. No day is all good and no day is all bad.

When I’m up I’m up

When I’m down I’m down

When I smile I smile

When I frown I frown

When I’m me, I’m me

And that’s who I’ll always be

When I’m me I’m me

And that’s who I like to be

I have a special way I like to use the good moments to help me get through the tough moments. I pretend the happy moments are presents that I can wrap up with wrapping paper and a bow. Then I can store those presents in my mind to open any time I need a positive thought. Let’s try it now together.

Take a moment to think back on your day. Think about one moment where you felt happy. It doesn’t have to be a big fantastic moment like winning a race or going to a birthday party. It can be a small and simple moment. Maybe you ate a snack that you enjoyed. Maybe a friend gave you a hug or a high five or said they liked your shoes. Maybe you felt happy and relaxed during our breathing exercise a few minutes ago. Take your time to think of a happy moment from your day.

Once you’ve thought of the moment, try to remember every detail that you can. How did you feel? Where were you? Who was there? What did things look like? How did it smell? Now imagine that you can pick that moment up and place it in a box. Then imagine wrapping the box with wrapping paper. The wrapping paper is your favorite color. Then you put a bow on top, and the bow is your second favorite color. Then imagine there’s a special place inside your mind where you can keep this present – like a closet or a gift table. You’ll store this gift there until you need it. Now you can repeat this exercise as many times as you want. Think of as many happy moments as you can and wrap each one up as a gift to save for later. You can do this any time. Tonight as you lie in bed, wrap up a few moments from the day. Tomorrow as you go through your day, pay attention when something happy happens, and stop to wrap it up on the spot. You can also think back through the past. Try to remember the most exciting and fantastic moment that’s ever happened to you. Wrap that memory up too. Soon you will have a whole closet or table full of presents waiting to be unwrapped. Some will be big and some will be small, and they will all be there for you any time you need them.

And what do you do with these gifts? Well the next time you’re having a difficult moment and you need a little help calming down or cheering up, you can open a present and remember that happy moment. Let’s practice now. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Now imagine pulling a present out of your special place. It’s the same memory we wrapped up earlier. Slowly untie the bow and unwrap the box. Then open it up and pull out that happy moment that you’ve saved inside. Spend however long you need thinking about the details of that happy moment. How you felt, where you were, who was there, how things smelled. Continue taking deep breaths as you think about it. Then when you’re done you can wrap it up and store it away until the next time you need it. That’s the best part. You can come back to these presents over and over, any time. You can open one memory, or 2 or 3 or 10. Whatever you need to help get through a difficult moment just to calm your thoughts and relax.

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. Here we go.

I believe in myself.

I am full of joy.

I am thankful for this moment.

I deserve to be loved.

My challenges help me grow.

I choose to focus on positive thoughts.

I’m glad that I am me.

Good things are going to come to me.

Now let’s 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 A Present to Me. It’s a great reminder for how to wrap up presents from your day. Feel free to just relax and listen, or to practice wrapping presents in your mind as I sing.

I’m thinking about my day

And what made me feel most pleasant

I’m putting a memory away

I’m wrapping it like a present

I’ve got a good gift to give

I’ll know the right moment to give it

I’ll have a smile on my face

Every time I relive it

I’m saving a moment from my day

And I’ll make it a present to me

I know how to cheer me up

Cause nobody knows me like I do

And when I feel like giving up

I’ll do my best just to try to

I’m wrapping a present to me

I can’t wait for me to see it

I’m wondering what it could be

I’ll store it away ’til I need it

I’m saving a moment from my day

And I’ll make it a present to me

I’m saving a moment from my day

And I’ll make it a present to me

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.