Letting go meditation for the afternoon slump (7 min), before a hard conversation

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for the afternoon slump. A letting go session you can do before a hard conversation. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: the afternoon slump

The post-lunch dip is a normal circadian low, not a failure of willpower. Core temperature and alertness both dip in the early afternoon.

It tends to show up as:

• Heavy, foggy middle of the day
• Struggling to stay with anything
• Reaching for sugar or caffeine

The dip is temporary. A short practice gets you through the low without adding stimulants on top of it.

Doing this before a hard conversation

• Do it before, not during, and again after if it went badly
• Decide your one non-negotiable sentence beforehand
• Plan to let the other person speak first

Being settled makes it easier to listen rather than to defend. That is usually what the conversation needs.

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. 0:00If your legs are crossed, uncross them. Small changes count.
2. 0:12Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
3. 0:28Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
4. 0:39This is not a performance. Nobody is listening to how well you're doing it.
5. 0:53Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
6. 1:06Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
7. 1:20Notice your shoulders, one at a time. The left one first.
8. 1:32Let your throat soften. There's nothing to swallow right now.
9. 1:44Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
10. 1:55Imagine softening the edges of the 3pm dip. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
11. 2:12Notice the space around the post-lunch fog. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
12. 2:29Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
13. 2:41No need to open your eyes yet.
14. 2:51Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
15. 3:04Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
16. 3:16Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
17. 3:30A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
18. 3:41You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
19. 3:56If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
20. 4:09Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
21. 4:23No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
22. 4:34You do not have to win against the heavy middle of the day. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
23. 4:52Nothing about the 3pm dip has to be explained or justified in this room.
24. 5:06Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
25. 5:19If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
26. 5:33If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
27. 5:47Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
28. 5:58Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
29. 6:13Take one breath that's a little fuller than the others, and let it out through your mouth.
30. 6:28Let the last minute of quiet be the last minute of quiet.

Questions people ask

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