Meditation for tension headaches: 10-minute self-compassion session, at the airport

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of self-compassion for tension headaches, at the airport. 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 on a plane

• Use headphones, and keep the seatbelt on
• Bring a layer — being cold works against settling
• Skip alcohol; it makes the alertness worse

Cabin noise is constant and will mask the audio more than you expect. Try the headphones before you settle in.

How self-compassion works

Self-compassion practice changes the tone of the inner voice rather than the content of the thoughts. It uses the same warmth and steadiness you would offer a friend, applied without requiring you to have earned it.

• Use the words you would actually say to someone you love
• Ask what you need, not what you deserve
• A hand on the chest or belly gives warmth and pressure a place to land

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Notice the heaviest part of your body right now. Let it be heavy.
2. 0:13You are allowed to have a hard time without earning it first.
3. 0:26There's no correct speed. Slower isn't better. Steadier is the only aim.
4. 0:39Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
5. 0:52Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
6. 1:03Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
7. 1:18Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
8. 1:30Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
9. 1:44Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
10. 1:56Feel your ankles. Let them be loose.
11. 2:06You have been carrying the band around the forehead for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
12. 2:26You do not have to like the pressure building behind the eyes to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
13. 2:43If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
14. 2:54Notice the tone you are using on yourself. If it would wound a friend, it is not the truth.
15. 3:10Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
16. 3:22Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
17. 3:34The question is not what you deserve. It is what you need, right now, in this moment.
18. 3:49I'll step back. You stay here.
19. 3:59Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times.
20. 4:13Say it once, plainly: this is hard, and I am allowed to find it hard.
21. 4:27Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
22. 4:37Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
23. 4:48Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
24. 5:01No need to open your eyes yet.
25. 5:11Feel your hips. Wide, heavy, and doing nothing.
26. 5:22Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
27. 5:35Let the pause stretch out.
28. 5:44Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
29. 5:55Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
30. 6:07No rush to move on.
31. 6:16Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
32. 6:27Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
33. 6:40No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
34. 6:51There is no correct amount of the ache from a long staring day to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
35. 7:10You do not have to win against the band around the forehead. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
36. 7:28Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
37. 7:42Whatever the pressure building behind the eyes is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
38. 7:58If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
39. 8:11If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
40. 8:24Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
41. 8:36Whatever you are about to say to yourself, imagine saying it to someone you love. Use those words.
42. 8:52Let it be this simple.
43. 9:01Roll your neck once, slowly, in whichever direction feels good.
44. 9:13Come back at your own speed. The room will wait.
45. 9:25Keep following the air.

Questions people ask

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