Grounding for a racing mind: 5 minutes, at your desk

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of grounding for a racing mind, at your desk. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: a racing mind

A racing mind is not a thinking problem, it is an arousal problem. When the body is revved up, the brain produces thoughts at the same speed, and each one feels urgent.

It tends to show up as:

• Thoughts arriving faster than you can finish them
• Lying awake running through the day
• Losing your place mid-sentence

Trying to stop the thoughts adds fuel. Narrowing attention to one physical sensation gives the mind a slower thing to hold.

Doing this at your desk

• Feet flat, back supported, screen away from your eyeline
• You can do this with your eyes open if the office makes closing them awkward
• Unclench the jaw and drop the shoulders first, before anything else

Nobody needs to know you are doing it. Keep it invisible if that makes it possible.

How grounding works

Grounding brings attention to physical contact and the immediate environment. It works on the principle that the body cannot be somewhere else, so contact with the surface you are on is always available as an anchor.

• Feel the contact points — feet, seat, back — and let them take your weight
• Use the senses deliberately: what you can see, hear, touch
• Return to solidity whenever attention drifts

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Notice the temperature of the air on the backs of your hands.
2. 0:13If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
3. 0:26Bring your attention to where your body meets the surface underneath you.
4. 0:39We're going to let the body lead and the mind follow for a while.
5. 0:53Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
6. 1:07Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
7. 1:18Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
8. 1:30Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
9. 1:42Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
10. 1:54Let it be this simple.
11. 2:03Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
12. 2:14We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
13. 2:28Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
14. 2:40Notice where the mind running ahead of you lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
15. 2:59When one thought chasing the next presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
16. 3:18Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
17. 3:29Think of thoughts arriving faster than you can answer them as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
18. 3:48If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
19. 4:01Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
20. 4:13You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
21. 4:26Let your breathing go back to whatever it does when nobody is watching.
22. 4:39Let the pause stretch out.

Questions people ask

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