Noting for exhaustion: 7 minutes, in the office

About this practice

When exhaustion shows up in the office, this 7-minute noting session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: exhaustion

Exhaustion is what is left after the reserves are gone. The body has stopped asking; it is now insisting.

It tends to show up as:

• Feeling hollow and drained
• Emotionally flat
• Physical heaviness all day

This is not the state to push in. The whole point here is to ask nothing and let the body be heavy.

Doing this at your desk

• Feet flat, back supported, screen away from your eyeline
• You can do this with your eyes open if the office makes closing them awkward
• Unclench the jaw and drop the shoulders first, before anything else

Nobody needs to know you are doing it. Keep it invisible if that makes it possible.

How noting works

Noting is a technique from insight practice: when something arises, you give it a single plain label — thinking, hearing, planning — and return to the anchor. The label creates a small distance between you and the content.

• Use one word, not a sentence — explaining means you have joined in
• Label and return; do not follow the thought to see where it goes
• Drop the labelling if it becomes effortful and just follow the breath

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Loosen your grip on whatever you're holding, or imagine loosening it.
2. 0:12Use one plain word, not a sentence. The moment you explain, you have joined in.
3. 0:26Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
4. 0:39Let your attention drop to the level of your shoulders and stay there a moment.
5. 0:53Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
6. 1:07Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
7. 1:18Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
8. 1:32Feel the tops of your thighs.
9. 1:42Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
10. 1:54If the drained feeling that rest has not touched shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
11. 2:16There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
12. 2:34Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
13. 2:46No rush to move on.
14. 2:55Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
15. 3:06If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
16. 3:19Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
17. 3:31Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
18. 3:46You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
19. 3:58Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
20. 4:11Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
21. 4:23Picture the body asking you to stop as a weather front passing over. You are not the weather. You are the sky it moves through.
22. 4:42Notice where the drained feeling that rest has not touched lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
23. 5:01Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
24. 5:17Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
25. 5:28If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
26. 5:42Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
27. 5:52You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
28. 6:07Notice if anything has loosened. Even slightly counts.
29. 6:18Let the last minute of quiet be the last minute of quiet.
30. 6:31Nothing changes for a moment.

Questions people ask

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