Self-compassion meditation for tired eyes (3 min), on a break

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 3 minutes of self-compassion for tired eyes, on a break. A guided session of about 3 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tired eyes

Screens reduce blink rate sharply, and the muscles that focus at close range stay contracted. The result is strain, ache and blur by the end of the day.

It tends to show up as:

• Aching, gritty eyes after screen time
• Blurring at the end of the day
• Headaches above the eyes

Closing the eyes is the only real rest they get. A few minutes without visual input is the specific thing your eyes are short of.

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. 0:00Sit however you were already sitting. You don't have to straighten up first.
2. 0:13The question is not what you deserve. It is what you need, right now, in this moment.
3. 0:28Let your body feel heavier than it did a minute ago. Let the chair or the floor take it.
4. 0:44Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
5. 0:57Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
6. 1:10Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
7. 1:22There is no correct amount of the heavy lids of a screen-lit day to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
8. 1:41Notice how the ache of staring too long changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
9. 1:58Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
10. 2:11Imagine the strained eyes after screens as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
11. 2:29Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
12. 2:42You are allowed to have a hard time without earning it first.
13. 2:55Notice your feet on the floor. That's where you start from.

Questions people ask

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