20-minute gratitude meditation for insomnia

About this practice

A 20-minute gratitude session for insomnia, before public speaking. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 20 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: insomnia

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night.

It tends to show up as:

Dreading bedtime
Hours awake with a busy mind
Sleeping worse as the week goes on

Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

Doing this before public speaking

Do it somewhere private, or in the washroom if needed
Slow the exhale deliberately and check your speaking pace after
Warm the voice by reading a line aloud, not by staying silent

Rushing is the tell of nerves. A slower breath now is what sets a slower pace in the room.

How gratitude works

Gratitude here is an attention practice, not a demand for a positive mood. Attention defaults to threats because they are urgent, so pleasant and ordinary things get skipped simply for being safe.

Pick one ordinary thing rather than something impressive
Stay with it for two breaths — depth beats length of list
Do not aim at feeling grateful; aim at noticing

What happens, minute by minute

0:00Put both feet flat on the floor and let them take some of the weight.
0:14Stay with it for two breaths. Gratitude deepens by staying, not by listing.
0:27We'll be quiet for a bit longer than usual. Stay with whatever shows up.
0:41Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
0:54Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
1:08Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
1:21Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
1:33Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
1:45Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
1:58Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
2:09Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
2:21When the counting of hours until morning presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
2:41You do not have to solve the frustration of not sleeping in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
3:00Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
3:13You have been carrying the wide-awake mind at 2am for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
3:33You do not have to like the counting of hours until morning to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
3:50Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
4:01If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
4:12If nothing comes, notice that something did not go wrong. That also counts.
4:25A short silence. Let it be empty.
4:35If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
4:48We are not forcing positivity. We are just noticing what went right, however small.
5:02A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
5:13If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
5:26There is no need to feel grateful. Just look, and see what is actually there.
5:40I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
5:52If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
6:05Pick one ordinary thing from today — a warm drink, a dry walk, a message — and let it count.
6:22Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
6:32You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
6:44Let the pause stretch out.
6:53Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
7:05Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
7:18I'll step back. You stay here.
7:28Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
7:42Let it be this simple.
7:51Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
8:05Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
8:19No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
8:30If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
8:44Remain here for a few more breaths.
8:54Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
9:08Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
9:22I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
9:35Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
9:46Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
9:59No rush to move on.
10:08Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
10:20I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
10:32Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
10:45Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
10:57Stay with it.
11:05Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
11:17Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
11:29Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
11:40Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
11:54Take the next breath slowly.
12:03If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
12:16Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
12:28Feel the tops of your thighs.
12:38Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
12:50Keep following the air.
12:59Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
13:12Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
13:25Let this one be unhurried.
13:34Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
13:46Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
13:58Let the quiet do its work.
14:08Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
14:20Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
14:31Just the breath, still.
14:40Notice your wrists. They bend a lot in a day.
14:52If the frustration of not sleeping has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
15:10A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
15:21Imagine softening the edges of the wide-awake mind at 2am. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
15:39Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
15:53This is not the last time the counting of hours until morning will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
16:12Feel the weight of the frustration of not sleeping somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
16:29Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
16:42Give the wide-awake mind at 2am a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
17:00If the counting of hours until morning is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
17:18Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
17:32Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
17:46If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
18:00Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
18:11Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
18:22Let it be unimpressive. Small good things are the most reliable ones.
18:35No need to open your eyes yet.
18:45Before you move, notice one thing that's fine right now.
18:57Notice your feet on the floor. That's where you start from.
19:09A few seconds more.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night. Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

Where and when should I do this one?

Do it somewhere private, or in the washroom if needed. Rushing is the tell of nerves. A slower breath now is what sets a slower pace in the room.

What actually happens during the 20 minutes?

Gratitude here is an attention practice, not a demand for a positive mood. Attention defaults to threats because they are urgent, so pleasant and ordinary things get skipped simply for being safe.

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