The afternoon slump: 10-minute noting meditation, on a break

About this practice

When the afternoon slump shows up on a break, this 10-minute noting 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: the afternoon slump

The post-lunch dip is a normal circadian low, not a failure of willpower. Core temperature and alertness both dip in the early afternoon.

It tends to show up as:

• Heavy, foggy middle of the day
• Struggling to stay with anything
• Reaching for sugar or caffeine

The dip is temporary. A short practice gets you through the low without adding stimulants on top of it.

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 noting works

Noting is a technique from insight practice: when something arises, you give it a single plain label — thinking, hearing, planning — and return to the anchor. The label creates a small distance between you and the content.

• Use one word, not a sentence — explaining means you have joined in
• Label and return; do not follow the thought to see where it goes
• Drop the labelling if it becomes effortful and just follow the breath

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Feel your ribs move. That is all the machinery you need to pay attention to right now.
2. 0:15When something arrives, label it quietly — thinking, hearing, planning, worrying — then return to the breath.
3. 0:30You can let your eyes close now if they weren't already.
4. 0:42Nothing here is a test of concentration. Drifting off is part of it.
5. 0:55Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
6. 1:08Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
7. 1:20Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
8. 1:31Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
9. 1:43Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
10. 1:55Notice your whole body as one shape, sitting or lying here.
11. 2:07If the post-lunch fog has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
12. 2:24Notice how the heavy middle of the day changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
13. 2:41If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
14. 2:54You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
15. 3:09I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
16. 3:22If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
17. 3:36If noting feels like too much, drop it and just follow the breath. The label is optional.
18. 3:51Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
19. 4:02Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
20. 4:13A label is enough. You do not need to follow the thought to see where it goes.
21. 4:28A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
22. 4:39Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
23. 4:52Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
24. 5:06Stay here a little longer.
25. 5:15Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
26. 5:28Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
27. 5:39Just the breath, still.
28. 5:48Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
29. 5:59Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
30. 6:10Stay with it.
31. 6:18Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
32. 6:31If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
33. 6:45Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
34. 6:55If the 3pm dip shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
35. 7:14Whatever the post-lunch fog is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
36. 7:28Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
37. 7:43This is not the last time the heavy middle of the day will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
38. 8:02If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
39. 8:16Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
40. 8:28A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
41. 8:39Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
42. 8:54Let the quiet do its work.
43. 9:04When you're ready, look around properly.
44. 9:14Come back at your own speed. The room will wait.
45. 9:26A few seconds more.

Questions people ask

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