10-minute guided letting go practice for perfectionism — at the end of the workday

About this practice

When perfectionism shows up at the end of the workday, this 10-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: perfectionism

Perfectionism treats a mistake as evidence rather than an incident. The bar rises precisely where self-worth is attached, which is why it never becomes achievable.

It tends to show up as:

• Endless polishing before sharing
• Fear of a wrong step
• Delaying work until conditions are ideal

A practice with no grade attached is a useful counterweight. There is no wrong way to do the next few minutes.

Doing this after work

• Change something physical first — shoes off, coat off — so the transition registers
• Do it before picking up the evening tasks
• Aim to end it fully, not just stop

Without a marker, work follows you into the evening. The session is the marker.

How letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

• Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
• Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
• Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Take one breath that is slightly slower than the last one. That is enough to start.
2. 0:15There's no need to try harder than this.
3. 0:26Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
4. 0:40There's no correct speed. Slower isn't better. Steadier is the only aim.
5. 0:53Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
6. 1:04Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
7. 1:17Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
8. 1:29Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
9. 1:40Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
10. 1:51Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
11. 2:05Imagine the bar that is always too high as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
12. 2:24If the fear of a wrong step has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
13. 2:42Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
14. 2:53Nothing here needs to be efficient.
15. 3:03I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
16. 3:15If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
17. 3:29If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
18. 3:42A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
19. 3:53Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
20. 4:05We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
21. 4:15I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
22. 4:27If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
23. 4:41Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
24. 4:54Let your body keep settling.
25. 5:03Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
26. 5:16Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
27. 5:31Just the breath, still.
28. 5:40Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
29. 5:52Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
30. 6:05Nothing changes for a moment.
31. 6:14Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
32. 6:27Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
33. 6:41Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
34. 6:53Give the demand that everything be exactly right a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
35. 7:12Notice the space around the bar that is always too high. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
36. 7:31Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
37. 7:44Each time your mind hands you the fear of a wrong step, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
38. 8:04Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
39. 8:17Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times.
40. 8:31Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
41. 8:41Let this be easy, if easy is available.
42. 8:52Take the next breath slowly.
43. 9:01Come back to the room through your senses, one at a time.
44. 9:14Start to notice the edges of your body again, and the surface you're on.
45. 9:28Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.