5-minute letting go meditation for tension

About this practice

For the times before work when tension headaches takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, letting go. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tension headaches

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position.

It tends to show up as:

A band of pressure across the forehead
Pressure behind the eyes
Ache worsening through the day

Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Doing this before a busy day

Do it before the first message or notification
Aim for steadiness rather than energy
Decide the first task afterwards, not during

The point is to begin without already being behind, not to prepare for every possibility.

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

0:00Start by hearing the furthest sound you can find.
0:11Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
0:27If your mind is loud, that's information, not failure.
0:38Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
0:49Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
1:02Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
1:15Feel the soles of your feet. All the weight of you goes through them.
1:29Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
1:43Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
1:55Remain here for a few more breaths.
2:05We are not solving anything in the next few minutes. We are setting it down, temporarily.
2:20Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
2:34If the band around the forehead shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
2:54Give the pressure building behind the eyes a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
3:12Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
3:26Let the ache from a long staring day be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
3:47If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
4:01Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
4:12Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
4:27Let the pace of the last few minutes set the pace of the next few.
4:41Take the next breath slowly.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position. Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Where and when should I do this one?

Do it before the first message or notification. The point is to begin without already being behind, not to prepare for every possibility.

What actually happens during the 5 minutes?

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.

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