Meditation for tension headaches: 10-minute body scan session, after a shock

About this practice

For the times after a shock when tension headaches takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, body scan. 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 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 body scan works

A body scan moves attention systematically through the body, region by region. It does not try to change what it finds — it builds a map of what is actually there, which is often different from what you assumed.

• Move slowly, head to feet or feet to head, and do not skip the uncomfortable areas
• Meet each region with plain curiosity rather than a verdict
• Numbness and absence of sensation are findings too

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Loosen your grip on whatever you're holding, or imagine loosening it.
2. 0:12Move at the speed of your attention, not the speed of a checklist. There is no schedule to keep.
3. 0:28Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
4. 0:41Let your attention drop to the level of your shoulders and stay there a moment.
5. 0:55Breathe as if you had all evening. There's no rush in this part.
6. 1:08Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
7. 1:22Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
8. 1:34Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
9. 1:48Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
10. 2:00Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
11. 2:12When the pressure building behind the eyes presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
12. 2:32Whatever the ache from a long staring day is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
13. 2:48If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
14. 3:02Visit each area with plain curiosity, not with a verdict. Sensation is information, not a problem.
15. 3:17A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
16. 3:28Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
17. 3:39Your only job is to notice what is there, region by region, without fixing anything.
18. 3:53Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
19. 4:05If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
20. 4:19If a region feels numb, that is a finding too. Note it and move on.
21. 4:33Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
22. 4:45Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
23. 5:00Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
24. 5:10Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
25. 5:20Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
26. 5:31Let your body keep settling.
27. 5:40Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
28. 5:52Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
29. 6:08Let this one be unhurried.
30. 6:17Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
31. 6:28Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
32. 6:41A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
33. 6:52If the band around the forehead shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
34. 7:12Give the pressure building behind the eyes a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
35. 7:30Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
36. 7:43Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the ache from a long staring day is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
37. 8:03If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
38. 8:18Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
39. 8:32A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
40. 8:43We will travel down through the body, one region at a time, and leave each one softer than we found it.
41. 9:00Let it be this simple.
42. 9:09Stretch whatever feels stiff, then carry on.
43. 9:19When you're ready, look around properly.
44. 9:29No need to open your eyes yet.

Questions people ask

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