7-minute guided self-compassion practice for burnout — on a plane

About this practice

When burnout shows up on a plane, this 7-minute self-compassion session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: burnout

Burnout is not tiredness you can sleep off. It is a flat, depleted state after prolonged effort, where the usual rewards stop registering.

It tends to show up as:

• Flatness rather than sadness
• Cynicism about work you used to care about
• Rest that does not restore anything

Recovery is not a push. Gentle practices that ask nothing of you are more useful here than anything with a target.

Doing this on a plane

• Use headphones, and keep the seatbelt on
• Bring a layer — being cold works against settling
• Skip alcohol; it makes the alertness worse

Cabin noise is constant and will mask the audio more than you expect. Try the headphones before you settle in.

How self-compassion works

Self-compassion practice changes the tone of the inner voice rather than the content of the thoughts. It uses the same warmth and steadiness you would offer a friend, applied without requiring you to have earned it.

• Use the words you would actually say to someone you love
• Ask what you need, not what you deserve
• A hand on the chest or belly gives warmth and pressure a place to land

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Let your belly be soft. Not sucked in. Just soft.
2. 0:12Say it once, plainly: this is hard, and I am allowed to find it hard.
3. 0:26Let your body feel heavier than it did a minute ago. Let the chair or the floor take it.
4. 0:42Bring your attention to the parts of you that are already still.
5. 0:55Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
6. 1:07Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
7. 1:20Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
8. 1:31Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
9. 1:42Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
10. 1:54When the worn-down feeling that coffee cannot fix arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
11. 2:14the distance between you and the work you used to love may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
12. 2:34Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
13. 2:45Let this one be unhurried.
14. 2:54Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
15. 3:07Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
16. 3:20Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
17. 3:32Notice the tone you are using on yourself. If it would wound a friend, it is not the truth.
18. 3:48If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
19. 4:01If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
20. 4:15I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
21. 4:27You do not have to like the flatness after pushing too long to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
22. 4:44Think of the worn-down feeling that coffee cannot fix as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
23. 5:03Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
24. 5:17If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
25. 5:28If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
26. 5:41Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
27. 5:52Whatever you are about to say to yourself, imagine saying it to someone you love. Use those words.
28. 6:08Let your eyes open when they're ready, not when the words end.
29. 6:21Let the pace of the last few minutes set the pace of the next few.
30. 6:35Remain here for a few more breaths.

Questions people ask

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