energy · 3 min
Letting go for exhaustion: 3 minutes, in the office
For the times in the office when exhaustion takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, letting go.
Press start. This is a quiet space — no music, no ads, just a voice and some room to breathe.
A quiet voice reads the session aloud in your browser — nothing is recorded. You can switch the voice off and follow the text instead.
About this practice
For the times in the office when exhaustion takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, letting go. A guided session of about 3 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.
What this works on: exhaustion
Exhaustion is what is left after the reserves are gone. The body has stopped asking; it is now insisting.
It tends to show up as:
- Feeling hollow and drained
- Emotionally flat
- Physical heaviness all day
This is not the state to push in. The whole point here is to ask nothing and let the body be heavy.
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 letting go works
Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.
- Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
- Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
- Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after
What happens, minute by minute
- 0:00Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing.
- 0:12You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
- 0:27There's no correct speed. Slower isn't better. Steadier is the only aim.
- 0:40Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
- 0:53If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
- 1:07Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
- 1:18Notice how the hollow tiredness changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
- 1:34Whatever the body asking you to stop is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
- 1:50Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
- 2:03Nothing about the drained feeling that rest has not touched has to be explained or justified in this room.
- 2:19If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
- 2:32With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
- 2:47Start to notice the edges of your body again, and the surface you're on.
Questions people ask
What does this session help with?
Exhaustion is what is left after the reserves are gone. The body has stopped asking; it is now insisting. This is not the state to push in. The whole point here is to ask nothing and let the body be heavy.
Where and when should I do this one?
Feet flat, back supported, screen away from your eyeline. Nobody needs to know you are doing it. Keep it invisible if that makes it possible.
What actually happens during the 3 minutes?
Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.
Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.
If this one is not quite right, try Meditation for self-criticism: 10-minute noting session, first thing, Gratitude for waking up: 20 minutes, before a hard conversation or Breathing meditation for mindfulness (10 min), in the hour before an exam.