Panic: 12-minute self-compassion meditation, during a break

About this practice

For the times during a break when panic takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, self-compassion. A guided session of about 12 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: panic

A panic surge is a false alarm firing at full volume. The body floods with adrenaline for about ten minutes, and then the chemistry drains on its own whether or not you do anything.

It tends to show up as:

• Heart pounding out of nowhere
• Feeling you must leave immediately
• Tingling hands or a tight throat

Knowing the surge is time-limited matters more than stopping it. A steady, unhurried voice in the background gives the body something to pace itself against.

Doing this on a break

• Leave the room if you can
• Do not start anything else in the same gap
• Set a timer so the break has an end

A break spent half-engaged with a screen is not much of a break. Guard the whole five minutes.

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. 0:00If you're tired, you can let that be true. Tired is allowed here.
2. 0:13We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
3. 0:23There's a difference between relaxing and stopping. We're aiming for the second one, gently.
4. 0:37Everything that happens in the next few minutes is allowed to happen.
5. 0:50Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
6. 1:04Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
7. 1:17Notice your whole body as one shape, sitting or lying here.
8. 1:29Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
9. 1:41Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
10. 1:52Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
11. 2:04Feel the weight of the sudden surge of panic somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
12. 2:21Nothing about the wave rising in your chest has to be explained or justified in this room.
13. 2:36Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
14. 2:47If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
15. 3:00Nothing here needs to be efficient.
16. 3:10I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
17. 3:22Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
18. 3:34If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
19. 3:47A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
20. 3:58If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
21. 4:12We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
22. 4:26A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
23. 4:37Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
24. 4:51Small efforts are the whole method.
25. 5:01Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
26. 5:13If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
27. 5:28There's no need to try harder than this.
28. 5:39Notice the backs of your knees, which you feel more than you think.
29. 5:52Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
30. 6:04Stay with it.
31. 6:12Notice your wrists. They bend a lot in a day.
32. 6:24Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
33. 6:37Let this one be unhurried.
34. 6:46Feel your hips. Wide, heavy, and doing nothing.
35. 6:57Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
36. 7:09Just the breath, still.
37. 7:18Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
38. 7:30Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
39. 7:44No need to open your eyes yet.
40. 7:54Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
41. 8:07You do not have to like the fear that this will not pass to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
42. 8:25I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
43. 8:37There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
44. 8:55Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
45. 9:09If the wave rising in your chest shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
46. 9:30Let the fear that this will not pass be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
47. 9:51Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
48. 10:05If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
49. 10:16Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
50. 10:28Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
51. 10:39Let this be easy, if easy is available.
52. 10:50A few seconds more.
53. 10:59Take one more breath at your own pace, then let your attention come back to the room.
54. 11:14Take one last look at whatever your attention settled on.
55. 11:26Take the next breath slowly.

Questions people ask

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