Deep work: 10-minute self-compassion meditation, when you are overwhelmed

About this practice

For the times when you are overwhelmed when deep work takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, self-compassion. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: deep work

Deep work requires a low distraction floor. Modern work rarely provides one, so the transition into it has to be manufactured.

It tends to show up as:

• Getting interrupted every few minutes
• Starting five things and finishing none
• Feeling busy but not productive

A short deliberate transition tells the body the next stretch is different. Without one, the previous meeting follows you in.

Doing this when you are overwhelmed

• Do not decide priorities during it
• Pick the shortest session available here
• When you finish, write down the first physical action on paper

The pile looks less like a pile once the alarm stops ringing. Sort it after, not during.

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. 0:00Put a hand on your chest for a moment if that feels steadying. Or don't. Both are allowed.
2. 0:16The question is not what you deserve. It is what you need, right now, in this moment.
3. 0:31Let your body be exactly as tired as it is.
4. 0:43If your mind is loud, that's information, not failure.
5. 0:54Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
6. 1:07Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
7. 1:20Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
8. 1:32Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
9. 1:45Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
10. 1:57Notice your breathing, without changing it.
11. 2:07Whatever the pull of notifications is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
12. 2:22You are allowed to be unimpressed by the task that needs a clear head. Indifference is a legitimate response.
13. 2:38If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
14. 2:52Put a hand where the feeling is strongest. Warmth and pressure are the oldest kind of reassurance.
15. 3:07Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
16. 3:19Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
17. 3:32You are allowed to have a hard time without earning it first.
18. 3:45A short silence. Let it be empty.
19. 3:55Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
20. 4:09Whatever you are about to say to yourself, imagine saying it to someone you love. Use those words.
21. 4:25Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
22. 4:36Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
23. 4:47Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
24. 5:00No need to open your eyes yet.
25. 5:10Feel the tops of your thighs.
26. 5:20Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
27. 5:33Let the pause stretch out.
28. 5:42Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
29. 5:54Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
30. 6:10A few seconds more.
31. 6:19Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
32. 6:30Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
33. 6:44No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
34. 6:55Think of the open tabs of your attention as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
35. 7:13Imagine softening the edges of the pull of notifications. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
36. 7:30Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
37. 7:43Imagine the task that needs a clear head as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
38. 8:02Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
39. 8:15If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
40. 8:29Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
41. 8:41Notice the tone you are using on yourself. If it would wound a friend, it is not the truth.
42. 8:57Let the quiet do its work.
43. 9:07Let the next breath be the start of the rest of the day.
44. 9:20Before you open your eyes, notice how you feel compared to the start. It might be small.

Questions people ask

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