5-minute guided letting go practice for a racing mind — in the evening

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for a racing mind. A letting go session you can do in the evening. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: a racing mind

A racing mind is not a thinking problem, it is an arousal problem. When the body is revved up, the brain produces thoughts at the same speed, and each one feels urgent.

It tends to show up as:

• Thoughts arriving faster than you can finish them
• Lying awake running through the day
• Losing your place mid-sentence

Trying to stop the thoughts adds fuel. Narrowing attention to one physical sensation gives the mind a slower thing to hold.

Doing this in the evening

• Dim the lights first — bright light works against the point
• Put the phone in another room
• Keep it slow rather than interesting

Something too engaging will wake you up rather than wind you down.

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. 0:00Put a hand on your chest for a moment if that feels steadying. Or don't. Both are allowed.
2. 0:16Nothing here needs to be efficient.
3. 0:26Nothing here needs to be pleasant. Neutral is fine. Dull is fine.
4. 0:39Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
5. 0:53Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
6. 1:07Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
7. 1:23Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
8. 1:35Feel your calves, front and back.
9. 1:45Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
10. 1:57Let the pause stretch out.
11. 2:06I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
12. 2:18We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
13. 2:32Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
14. 2:45Think of one thought chasing the next as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
15. 3:03Notice the space around thoughts arriving faster than you can answer them. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
16. 3:22Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
17. 3:35the mind running ahead of you may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
18. 3:53Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
19. 4:07A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
20. 4:18You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
21. 4:31Notice your feet on the floor. That's where you start from.

Questions people ask

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