Guided pauses

Guided meditation for anxiety

When worry takes hold, I don't try to argue with it. I come back to the breath, to the body, to a few gentle words. These eight short practices are the ones I return to most. Pick the one that matches how you feel right now, and read it slowly, as if someone you trust were sitting beside you.

Thich Nhat Hanh · About 3 minutes

Three breaths to come home

When worry has just started to rise

Wherever you are, let yourself stop. You don't need to fix anything right now.

Feel your feet on the floor, or your body resting on the chair. The ground is holding you.

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Breathing in, I notice the worry is here. Breathing out, I smile to it, gently, like a friend I recognise.

You don't have to push the anxiety away. Just let it know it is not alone.

Breathing in: I have arrived. Breathing out: I am home.

Once more. In: arrived. Out: home.

Let your next breath be a little longer on the way out, as if you were sighing after a long day.

When you're ready, open your eyes, or lift your gaze, and carry one of these breaths with you into the next minute.

Mindfulness · About 5 minutes

Five senses, one present moment

When thoughts are racing ahead

Anxiety often lives in the future. Let's come back to now, using the body you already have.

Let your eyes rest on five things you can see. Name them quietly, without judging.

Now notice four things you can feel. The fabric on your skin. The air. The weight of your hands.

Listen for three sounds. Near or far, loud or soft. Just let them arrive.

Notice two things you can smell, or simply the coolness of air at your nostrils.

And one thing you can taste, even if it is only the inside of your mouth.

Now take one slow breath, and notice: in this moment, right here, you are safe enough to breathe.

The thoughts may come back. That's alright. You know the way home now. Five, four, three, two, one.

Christian · About 6 minutes

Cast your cares

When a worry feels too heavy to hold alone

Settle into a comfortable position and let your shoulders drop.

Hear these words, slowly: "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."

Breathe in, and as you breathe out, let the word "cares" rest in your heart.

Now picture the worry you are carrying. Give it a shape, a colour, a weight. Hold it in your open hands.

You don't have to solve it. Just hold it out, the way a child hands something heavy to someone who loves them.

Breathing in: I am held. Breathing out: I let go.

Again. In: I am held. Out: I let go.

If the worry returns to your hands, that's alright. You can offer it again, as many times as you need.

Rest for a moment in the quiet. There is nothing to earn here.

When you're ready, take one deeper breath, and return to your day, a little lighter.

Buddhist · About 7 minutes

Softening the anxious body

When anxiety shows up as tension

Find a position where your body can be supported, sitting or lying down.

Anxiety often hides in the body: a tight jaw, raised shoulders, a fluttering chest. Let's visit each place with kindness.

Bring your attention to your forehead and jaw. Notice any holding. On the out-breath, soften, just a little.

Move to your shoulders. Let them sink, as if someone had taken a heavy bag from you.

Rest your attention in your chest. If there is tightness or a racing heart, place a hand there. Say quietly: "I see you. You're allowed to be here."

Move to your belly. Let it rise and fall freely, without holding it in.

Now your hands, and your legs, and your feet. Softening, softening.

Breathe as if the whole body were breathing, a gentle wave from head to toe.

May I be at ease. May I be safe. May I meet this moment with kindness.

Stay here for as long as you like. When you're ready, wriggle your fingers and toes, and come back slowly.

Mindfulness · About 4 minutes

The longer out-breath

When your heart is racing or breath feels short

Sit or stand wherever you are. There is no right way to do this.

Let one hand rest on your belly. Just notice the breath as it is, quick or slow.

Now breathe in gently through the nose for a count of four. One, two, three, four.

And breathe out softly, as if through a straw, for a count of six. One, two, three, four, five, six.

Again. In for four. Out for six.

A longer out-breath tells the body it is safe to slow down. You don't need to believe it yet. Your body is listening.

Continue at your own pace. In for four, out for six.

If counting feels like effort, let it go and simply let each out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath.

Notice anything that has softened, even slightly. A shoulder. The jaw. The space behind the eyes.

When you're ready, let the breath find its own rhythm again, and carry this slower pace into the next few minutes.

Buddhist · About 6 minutes

RAIN for a worried mind

When the same worry keeps returning

Settle into your seat and take one slow breath.

We'll move through four gentle steps: Recognise, Allow, Investigate, Nurture.

R: Recognise. Quietly name what is here. "Worry is here." "Fear is here." Naming it creates a little space.

A: Allow. Let it be here, just for now. You might whisper: "This belongs. I can let it be."

I: Investigate, with kindness. Where do you feel it in the body? What does this worried part of you believe? What does it most need?

N: Nurture. Offer yourself what is needed. Perhaps a hand on the heart. Perhaps the words: "I'm here. It's alright. I've got you."

Rest now, after the RAIN, in whatever presence is left. Not the worry, but the awareness that has been holding it.

This awareness is always here, under the weather of thoughts.

Take a breath, and when you're ready, gently return.

Christian · About 5 minutes

Be still, and know

When your mind won't stop planning and fixing

Let your body settle. Rest your hands open on your lap.

We'll pray a single line from Psalm 46, letting it grow shorter with each breath.

Be still, and know that I am God.

Be still, and know that I am.

Be still, and know.

Be still.

Be.

If anxious thoughts return, don't argue with them. Simply begin again at the first line.

Be still, and know that I am God. ... Be.

Rest in the quiet beneath the words. You are known, and you are held.

When you're ready, open your eyes, and take this stillness gently into your day.

Thich Nhat Hanh · About 5 minutes

Walking with worry

When you feel too restless to sit still

If sitting feels impossible right now, that's alright. Let's walk instead, slowly, indoors or out.

Stand for a moment and feel the whole soles of your feet touching the ground.

Take a step as you breathe in, and say silently: "I have arrived."

Take a step as you breathe out: "I am home."

Walk as if you were kissing the earth with your feet. There is nowhere you need to get to.

When the worry pulls you forward, into what might happen, come back to this one step.

Breathing in: "In the here." Breathing out: "In the now."

Notice the air, the sounds around you, one thing of beauty you hadn't seen.

Let the anxiety walk alongside you. You don't have to leave it behind. You only have to keep it company.

Come to a gentle stop. Stand for a breath or two, and smile to the ground that has carried you.

A gentle word of care

Meditation can soften anxiety, but it is not a replacement for medical care. If anxiety is overwhelming your days, please speak to your GP or call NHS 111. If you are in crisis, Samaritans are there day and night on 116 123.

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