Self-compassion meditation for exhaustion (10 min), in the mid-afternoon

About this practice

When exhaustion shows up in the mid-afternoon, this 10-minute self-compassion session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 10 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 in the mid-afternoon

• Sit upright and open a window if you can
• Expect heaviness rather than fighting it
• A short session here beats a longer one that never happens

The dip is a normal circadian low. You are riding it out, not correcting a fault.

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. 0:00Put a hand on your chest for a moment if that feels steadying. Or don't. Both are allowed.
2. 0:16Put a hand where the feeling is strongest. Warmth and pressure are the oldest kind of reassurance.
3. 0:31If some part of you is resisting this, that resistance is worth noticing too.
4. 0:45Nothing here is a test of concentration. Drifting off is part of it.
5. 0:58Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
6. 1:13Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
7. 1:24Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
8. 1:36Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
9. 1:49Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
10. 2:01Feel the back of your neck. That's a place that holds a lot.
11. 2:14You do not have to like the body asking you to stop to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
12. 2:31You have been carrying the drained feeling that rest has not touched for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
13. 2:53Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
14. 3:07You are allowed to have a hard time without earning it first.
15. 3:20I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
16. 3:32Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
17. 3:46The question is not what you deserve. It is what you need, right now, in this moment.
18. 4:01Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
19. 4:13If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
20. 4:24Notice the tone you are using on yourself. If it would wound a friend, it is not the truth.
21. 4:40Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
22. 4:52Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
23. 5:05Just the breath, still.
24. 5:14Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
25. 5:27Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
26. 5:40Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
27. 5:50Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
28. 6:02If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
29. 6:16No rush to move on.
30. 6:25Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
31. 6:37Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
32. 6:51Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
33. 7:01If you catch yourself fighting the hollow tiredness, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
34. 7:18You do not have to win against the body asking you to stop. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
35. 7:36Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
36. 7:50There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
37. 8:08Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
38. 8:20If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
39. 8:34A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
40. 8:45Say it once, plainly: this is hard, and I am allowed to find it hard.
41. 8:59Let the pause stretch out.
42. 9:08Start to notice the edges of your body again, and the surface you're on.
43. 9:22Wiggle your fingers and toes, gently, like you're testing that they still work.

Questions people ask

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