Letting go for overwhelm: 3 minutes, when the news hits hard

About this practice

For the times when the news hits hard when overwhelm 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: overwhelm

Overwhelm is too many open loops at once. The mind cannot prioritise while aroused, so the pile stays a pile.

It tends to show up as:

• Not knowing where to start
• Freezing rather than working
• Feeling behind on everything at once

You cannot sort the pile while the alarm is ringing. Settling the body first is what makes choosing possible.

Doing this after bad news

• Do not make any decisions during it
• Let it be simple — you do not need to process anything today
• Tell one person where you are, even briefly

The first hours after bad news are not for planning. Deliberately doing nothing useful is the right move.

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

1. 0:00Sit however you were already sitting. You don't have to straighten up first.
2. 0:13Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
3. 0:28Bring your attention to where your body meets the surface underneath you.
4. 0:41Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
5. 0:53Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
6. 1:06Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
7. 1:20If the pile of everything at once has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
8. 1:38There is no correct amount of the too-much feeling to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
9. 1:55Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
10. 2:07Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
11. 2:24If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
12. 2:38With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
13. 2:53Wiggle your fingers and toes, gently, like you're testing that they still work.

Questions people ask

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