10-minute guided noting practice for the inner critic — in the mid-afternoon

About this practice

10 minutes to meet the inner critic with less of a fight. A noting practice, in the mid-afternoon. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: the inner critic

The inner critic often formed as a protective strategy, keeping you small to keep you safe. It is loudest where you feel most exposed.

It tends to show up as:

• A judge commenting on everything
• Anticipating criticism before it comes
• Difficulty accepting praise

You can notice the voice without obeying it. Distance between the voice and the response is the whole gain.

Doing this in the mid-afternoon

• Sit upright and open a window if you can
• Expect heaviness rather than fighting it
• A short session here beats a longer one that never happens

The dip is a normal circadian low. You are riding it out, not correcting a fault.

How noting works

Noting is a technique from insight practice: when something arises, you give it a single plain label — thinking, hearing, planning — and return to the anchor. The label creates a small distance between you and the content.

• Use one word, not a sentence — explaining means you have joined in
• Label and return; do not follow the thought to see where it goes
• Drop the labelling if it becomes effortful and just follow the breath

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00If you're sitting, let the chair do the work of holding you upright.
2. 0:13You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
3. 0:28We'll be quiet for a bit longer than usual. Stay with whatever shows up.
4. 0:42Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
5. 0:55Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
6. 1:08Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
7. 1:20Notice your whole body as one shape, sitting or lying here.
8. 1:32Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
9. 1:44Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
10. 1:56Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
11. 2:08Feel the weight of the judge in your head somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
12. 2:25You do not have to win against the running commentary on your flaws. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
13. 2:43Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
14. 2:56Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
15. 3:11I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
16. 3:23Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times.
17. 3:37A label is enough. You do not need to follow the thought to see where it goes.
18. 3:52Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
19. 4:04If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
20. 4:18When something arrives, label it quietly — thinking, hearing, planning, worrying — then return to the breath.
21. 4:33Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
22. 4:43Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
23. 4:56Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
24. 5:06Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
25. 5:18Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
26. 5:31Let this one be unhurried.
27. 5:40Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
28. 5:51Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
29. 6:07No need to open your eyes yet.
30. 6:17Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
31. 6:31Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
32. 6:45Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
33. 6:57Notice how the voice that grades everything changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
34. 7:14Let the judge in your head be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
35. 7:34Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
36. 7:48If you catch yourself fighting the running commentary on your flaws, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
37. 8:06Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
38. 8:17Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
39. 8:28I'll step back. You stay here.
40. 8:38Use one plain word, not a sentence. The moment you explain, you have joined in.
41. 8:52Stay here a little longer.
42. 9:01When you stand up, do it slowly. There's no reason to hurry.
43. 9:14Let the quiet end on its own rather than cutting it off.
44. 9:27Remain here for a few more breaths.

Questions people ask

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