Worry: 5-minute self-compassion meditation, in the office

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of self-compassion for worry, in the office. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: worry

Worry is rehearsal for a future that has not arrived. The body responds to the imagined event as if it were happening, so you pay the cost twice.

It tends to show up as:

• What-ifs lined up in a queue
• A knot low in the stomach
• Rehearsing bad outcomes before bed

You do not have to resolve the worry. Noticing it as a mental event, rather than an accurate forecast, loosens its grip.

Doing this at your desk

• Feet flat, back supported, screen away from your eyeline
• You can do this with your eyes open if the office makes closing them awkward
• Unclench the jaw and drop the shoulders first, before anything else

Nobody needs to know you are doing it. Keep it invisible if that makes it possible.

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 your shoulders drop about a centimetre. That is roughly where most of us keep the day.
2. 0:15You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
3. 0:28Bring your attention to the parts of you that are already still.
4. 0:41Bring your attention to where your body meets the surface underneath you.
5. 0:54Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
6. 1:07Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
7. 1:20Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
8. 1:31Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
9. 1:42Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
10. 1:53Let your body keep settling.
11. 2:02Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
12. 2:14If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
13. 2:27If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
14. 2:41This is not the last time the knot of worry low in the stomach will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
15. 3:01If you catch yourself fighting the mind rehearsing bad endings, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
16. 3:19Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
17. 3:33Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
18. 3:50If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
19. 4:03Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
20. 4:13There's no need to try harder than this.
21. 4:24Let the last minute of quiet be the last minute of quiet.
22. 4:37Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.

Questions people ask

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