Letting go meditation for tension headaches (10 min), as sleep prep

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for tension headaches. A letting go session you can do as sleep prep. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tension headaches

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position.

It tends to show up as:

A band of pressure across the forehead
Pressure behind the eyes
Ache worsening through the day

Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Doing this before sleep

Dim the lights and put the phone out of reach
Do it in bed if that helps you stay there
Let yourself fall asleep rather than finishing it

Checking anything afterwards undoes most of it. Let this be the last thing.

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

0:00Begin with the simple fact that you got here. That already happened.
0:13With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
0:28Feel the small movements your body makes to keep you upright. They're happening without you.
0:42If it helps, imagine your attention is a torch beam. Right now it's wide and soft.
0:57Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
1:12Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
1:25Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
1:36Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
1:46Notice your shoulders, one at a time. The left one first.
1:58Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
2:11There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
2:29Each time your mind hands you the band around the forehead, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
2:48If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
3:03Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
3:18Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
3:30Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times.
3:44Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
4:00I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
4:12Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
4:24You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
4:39No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
4:50Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
5:03Stay with it.
5:11Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
5:23Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
5:36Let this one be unhurried.
5:45Feel the back of your neck. That's a place that holds a lot.
5:58Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
6:11Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
6:21Feel your calves, front and back.
6:31Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
6:45Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
6:56You are allowed to be unimpressed by the pressure building behind the eyes. Indifference is a legitimate response.
7:12Notice where the ache from a long staring day lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
7:31Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
7:47If the band around the forehead has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
8:05If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
8:19If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
8:32A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
8:43Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
8:59Remain here for a few more breaths.
9:09Let your jaw, shoulders and hands be loose as you finish.
9:21Notice if anything has loosened. Even slightly counts.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position. Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Where and when should I do this one?

Dim the lights and put the phone out of reach. Checking anything afterwards undoes most of it. Let this be the last thing.

What actually happens during the 10 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.