Overwhelm: 15-minute self-compassion meditation, on a plane

About this practice

A 15-minute self-compassion session for overwhelm, on a plane. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 15 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: overwhelm

Overwhelm is too many open loops at once. The mind cannot prioritise while aroused, so the pile stays a pile.

It tends to show up as:

Not knowing where to start
Freezing rather than working
Feeling behind on everything at once

You cannot sort the pile while the alarm is ringing. Settling the body first is what makes choosing possible.

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

0:00Let your shoulders drop about a centimetre. That is roughly where most of us keep the day.
0:15Say it once, plainly: this is hard, and I am allowed to find it hard.
0:29Let your sense of the room shrink down to just your body and the surface you're on.
0:44Let your attention settle on the space between your nose and your upper lip, where the air passes.
1:00Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
1:11Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
1:24Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
1:36Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
1:48Notice your shins, which take small knocks all day and never complain.
2:01Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
2:12Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
2:24Let the too-much feeling be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
2:43You are allowed to be unimpressed by the noise of a hundred demands. Indifference is a legitimate response.
2:59Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
3:13If the pile of everything at once is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
3:31There is no correct amount of the too-much feeling to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
3:48Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
4:02Nothing changes for a moment.
4:11Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
4:24Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
4:34Take the next breath slowly.
4:43Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
4:54Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
5:06Let your body keep settling.
5:15Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
5:31Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
5:44Stay here a little longer.
5:53Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
6:04Notice the backs of your knees, which you feel more than you think.
6:17A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
6:28Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
6:41No rush to move on.
6:50Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
7:03No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
7:14Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
7:26Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
7:40Let the quiet do its work.
7:50Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
8:02Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
8:14Notice the tone you are using on yourself. If it would wound a friend, it is not the truth.
8:30Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
8:41Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
8:52Put a hand where the feeling is strongest. Warmth and pressure are the oldest kind of reassurance.
9:07If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
9:22A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
9:33The question is not what you deserve. It is what you need, right now, in this moment.
9:48If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
10:01Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
10:13Whatever you are about to say to yourself, imagine saying it to someone you love. Use those words.
10:29If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
10:43Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
10:56I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
11:08Notice the space around the noise of a hundred demands. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
11:27Notice how the pile of everything at once changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
11:44Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
11:55If the too-much feeling has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
12:12If you catch yourself fighting the noise of a hundred demands, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
12:30Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
12:42Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
12:55Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
13:07You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
13:19I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
13:31You are allowed to have a hard time without earning it first.
13:44Let it be this simple.
13:53Come back to your body first, and the rest of the day second.
14:06Before you move, notice one thing that's fine right now.
14:18Stay with it.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Overwhelm is too many open loops at once. The mind cannot prioritise while aroused, so the pile stays a pile. You cannot sort the pile while the alarm is ringing. Settling the body first is what makes choosing possible.

Where and when should I do this one?

Use headphones, and keep the seatbelt on. Cabin noise is constant and will mask the audio more than you expect. Try the headphones before you settle in.

What actually happens during the 15 minutes?

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