Meditation for panic: 5-minute letting go session, in the mid-afternoon

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for panic. A letting go session you can do in the mid-afternoon. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: panic

A panic surge is a false alarm firing at full volume. The body floods with adrenaline for about ten minutes, and then the chemistry drains on its own whether or not you do anything.

It tends to show up as:

• Heart pounding out of nowhere
• Feeling you must leave immediately
• Tingling hands or a tight throat

Knowing the surge is time-limited matters more than stopping it. A steady, unhurried voice in the background gives the body something to pace itself against.

Doing this in the mid-afternoon

• Sit upright and open a window if you can
• Expect heaviness rather than fighting it
• A short session here beats a longer one that never happens

The dip is a normal circadian low. You are riding it out, not correcting a fault.

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. 0:00Notice the temperature of the air on the backs of your hands.
2. 0:13We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
3. 0:27We're going to move through the body in order, roughly from top to bottom.
4. 0:41Notice the pause at the end of each breath. It's short, but it's there.
5. 0:55Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
6. 1:10Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
7. 1:24Notice your eyebrows. They're probably doing something small right now.
8. 1:36Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
9. 1:49Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
10. 2:02Let it be this simple.
11. 2:11Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
12. 2:23Let this be easy, if easy is available.
13. 2:34If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
14. 2:47Notice how the fear that this will not pass changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
15. 3:05You do not have to solve the sudden surge of panic in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
16. 3:24Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
17. 3:37You have been carrying the wave rising in your chest for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
18. 3:58If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
19. 4:11A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
20. 4:22Nothing here needs to be efficient.
21. 4:32Let your shoulders come back up to their usual place, if they want to.

Questions people ask

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