Gratitude meditation for insomnia (7 min), when you are overwhelmed

About this practice

7 minutes to meet insomnia with less of a fight. A gratitude practice, when you are overwhelmed. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: insomnia

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night.

It tends to show up as:

• Dreading bedtime
• Hours awake with a busy mind
• Sleeping worse as the week goes on

Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

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 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. 0:00Begin with the simple fact that you got here. That already happened.
2. 0:13We are not forcing positivity. We are just noticing what went right, however small.
3. 0:27Let your body feel heavier than it did a minute ago. Let the chair or the floor take it.
4. 0:43If it helps, imagine your attention is a torch beam. Right now it's wide and soft.
5. 0:58Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
6. 1:13Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
7. 1:24Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
8. 1:38Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
9. 1:48Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
10. 2:01Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the wide-awake mind at 2am is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
11. 2:20Notice the space around the counting of hours until morning. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
12. 2:39Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
13. 2:51Stay here a little longer.
14. 3:00Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
15. 3:13Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
16. 3:25I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
17. 3:37There is no need to feel grateful. Just look, and see what is actually there.
18. 3:51You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
19. 4:03Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
20. 4:17Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
21. 4:29If the frustration of not sleeping shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
22. 4:49You have been carrying the wide-awake mind at 2am for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
23. 5:09Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
24. 5:23Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
25. 5:35If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
26. 5:48A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
27. 5:59Let it be unimpressive. Small good things are the most reliable ones.
28. 6:12Let your shoulders come back up to their usual place, if they want to.
29. 6:26If you drifted off, that was rest, and rest counts.

Questions people ask

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