body · 3 min
Meditation for tension headaches: 3-minute body scan session, in the hour before an interview
When tension headaches shows up in the hour before an interview, this 3-minute body scan session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Press start. This is a quiet space — no music, no ads, just a voice and some room to breathe.
A quiet voice reads the session aloud in your browser — nothing is recorded. You can switch the voice off and follow the text instead.
About this practice
When tension headaches shows up in the hour before an interview, this 3-minute body scan session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 3 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 an interview
- Do it where you will not be interrupted, even if that is a stairwell
- Have the first sentence of your answer ready afterwards
- Keep it short — there is no time for a long session
Nerves before an interview are normal and not something to eliminate. You need access to what you know, nothing more.
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
- 0:00Let your next exhale be a sigh, if a sigh is what's waiting there.
- 0:14We will travel down through the body, one region at a time, and leave each one softer than we found it.
- 0:31Nothing here needs to be pleasant. Neutral is fine. Dull is fine.
- 0:44Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
- 0:55Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
- 1:08Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
- 1:20Each time your mind hands you the pressure building behind the eyes, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
- 1:40You do not have to solve the ache from a long staring day in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
- 2:00Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
- 2:15Nothing about the band around the forehead has to be explained or justified in this room.
- 2:30Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
- 2:41Start at the crown of the head and move down slowly. Do not skip to the parts that hurt.
- 2:57Start to notice the edges of your body again, and the surface you're on.
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?
Do it where you will not be interrupted, even if that is a stairwell. Nerves before an interview are normal and not something to eliminate. You need access to what you know, nothing more.
What actually happens during the 3 minutes?
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.
Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.
If this one is not quite right, try 3-minute guided softening practice for insomnia — at 3am, Heartbreak: 12-minute softening meditation, on the train or A mindful pause: 12-minute breathing meditation, on a Sunday.