Self-compassion for low energy: 7 minutes, late at night

About this practice

For the times late at night when low energy takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, self-compassion. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: low energy

Low energy is a flat battery, not laziness. Pushing through it further drains reserves and produces worse work, faster.

It tends to show up as:

• Everything feeling like an effort
• Procrastinating on simple tasks
• Tiredness sitting deep in the body

A short practice will not restore the reserve, but it removes some of the tension that is draining it.

Doing this at night

• Skip the clock — knowing the time rarely helps at night
• Keep the room dark, and use headphones rather than a speaker
• Expect to be awake for a while without treating that as a problem

Any practice at night works better with the display off. Looking at a screen resets the whole thing.

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. 0:00Let the floor take your weight through your feet, and stop holding yourself up for a second.
2. 0:15The question is not what you deserve. It is what you need, right now, in this moment.
3. 0:30Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
4. 0:41We're going to let the body lead and the mind follow for a while.
5. 0:55Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
6. 1:09Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
7. 1:22Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
8. 1:34Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
9. 1:46Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
10. 2:00Give the effort everything takes a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
11. 2:17Notice the space around the flat battery feeling. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
12. 2:35Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
13. 2:46Remain here for a few more breaths.
14. 2:56Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
15. 3:08Notice your shoulders, one at a time. The left one first.
16. 3:20Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
17. 3:31A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
18. 3:42You are allowed to have a hard time without earning it first.
19. 3:55Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
20. 4:07Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
21. 4:21Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
22. 4:33Imagine the tiredness that sits in the bones as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
23. 4:52If the effort everything takes starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
24. 5:08Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
25. 5:23If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
26. 5:37Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
27. 5:48Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
28. 5:59Put a hand where the feeling is strongest. Warmth and pressure are the oldest kind of reassurance.
29. 6:14Take one last look at whatever your attention settled on.
30. 6:26Take your time opening your eyes. Nothing is waiting urgently.

Questions people ask

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