5-minute guided letting go practice for the inner critic — in the mid-afternoon

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for the inner critic. A letting go session you can do in the mid-afternoon. A guided session of about 5 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 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. 0:00If your legs are crossed, uncross them. Small changes count.
2. 0:12We are not solving anything in the next few minutes. We are setting it down, temporarily.
3. 0:27You can let your eyes close now if they weren't already.
4. 0:39Notice your own pulse somewhere. Wrist, throat, wherever you can find it.
5. 0:52Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
6. 1:06Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
7. 1:17Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
8. 1:28Feel your calves, front and back.
9. 1:38Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
10. 1:48A few seconds more.
11. 1:57Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
12. 2:08Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
13. 2:24Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
14. 2:36Imagine softening the edges of the voice that grades everything. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
15. 2:54When the judge in your head presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
16. 3:13Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
17. 3:27Feel the weight of the running commentary on your flaws somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
18. 3:44If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
19. 3:57I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
20. 4:09You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
21. 4:24Let your eyes open when they're ready, not when the words end.
22. 4:37Keep following the air.

Questions people ask

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