5-minute letting go meditation for grief, when the news hits hard

About this practice

When grief shows up when the news hits hard, this 5-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: grief

Grief is not a mood that lifts on a schedule. It arrives in waves, often triggered by nothing, and it changes shape over months rather than days.

It tends to show up as:

• Waves arriving without warning
• Exhaustion that rest does not touch
• Difficulty concentrating on ordinary things

This is not a practice for fixing grief. It is a place to sit while it moves through, so you are not alone with it in the middle of the day.

Doing this after bad news

• Do not make any decisions during it
• Let it be simple — you do not need to process anything today
• Tell one person where you are, even briefly

The first hours after bad news are not for planning. Deliberately doing nothing useful is the right move.

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. 0:00Feel your ribs move. That is all the machinery you need to pay attention to right now.
2. 0:15You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
3. 0:28You can let your eyes close now if they weren't already.
4. 0:40If it helps, imagine your attention is a torch beam. Right now it's wide and soft.
5. 0:55Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
6. 1:06Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
7. 1:20Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
8. 1:32Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
9. 1:44Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
10. 1:56No need to open your eyes yet.
11. 2:06Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
12. 2:17A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
13. 2:28We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
14. 2:38Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
15. 2:49Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the ache that has no schedule is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
16. 3:08There is no correct amount of the heaviness where someone used to be to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
17. 3:27Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
18. 3:40You do not have to win against the wave that arrives without warning. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
19. 3:58Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
20. 4:10A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
21. 4:21Small efforts are the whole method.
22. 4:31Take a moment to notice you did this for yourself. That's not nothing.

Questions people ask

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