Anticipatory anxiety: 5-minute gratitude meditation, in the queue

About this practice

A 5-minute gratitude session for anticipatory anxiety, in the queue. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: anticipatory anxiety

Dread of an upcoming event is often heavier than the event itself. The waiting period keeps the body in low-level alert for days.

It tends to show up as:

• Stomach dropping when you remember what is coming
• Sleep getting worse as the date approaches
• Wanting to cancel to get relief

The anticipation is a state, not a warning. Practising being in the present while the dread is present teaches the body it can wait without bracing.

Doing this in a waiting room

• You can do this with your eyes open and your hands where they are
• Nothing here needs to look like a meditation
• Aim for steadiness rather than calm

Waiting feeds the dread it is meant to relieve. Having something specific to do with the time is the useful part.

How gratitude works

Gratitude here is an attention practice, not a demand for a positive mood. Attention defaults to threats because they are urgent, so pleasant and ordinary things get skipped simply for being safe.

• Pick one ordinary thing rather than something impressive
• Stay with it for two breaths — depth beats length of list
• Do not aim at feeling grateful; aim at noticing

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Rest your hands somewhere they don't have to do anything.
2. 0:12There's no need to try harder than this.
3. 0:23Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
4. 0:36Nothing here needs to be pleasant. Neutral is fine. Dull is fine.
5. 0:49Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
6. 1:02Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
7. 1:14Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
8. 1:26Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
9. 1:38Feel your ankles. Let them be loose.
10. 1:48A few seconds more.
11. 1:57Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
12. 2:09A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
13. 2:20You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
14. 2:33Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
15. 2:44There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
16. 3:02You are allowed to be unimpressed by the nervous hours before. Indifference is a legitimate response.
17. 3:17Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
18. 3:30Give the dread of an event that has not happened a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
19. 3:49Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
20. 4:03Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
21. 4:13We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
22. 4:27When you're ready, look around properly.
23. 4:37Remain 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.