Let Go Of Work Stress: A Post-Work Meditation

Had a stressful day at work and struggling to switch off?
This gentle mindfulness meditation is designed to help you release work stress, calm a busy mind and create some space between you and the demands of the day.
Through simple breathing, body awareness and mindfulness, you'll be guided towards slowing down and letting go of what you don't need to carry into your evening.
You don't need to empty your mind or force yourself to relax.
Just take a few minutes for yourself.
The working day is over. You are allowed to rest.

Transcript

Welcome. If you've arrived here after a busy, Demanding, Or stressful day at work, Just take a moment to acknowledge that. Perhaps your mind is still racing through everything that happened today. Maybe you're thinking about unfinished tasks, Difficult conversations, Emails you didn't answer, Or everything that's waiting for you tomorrow. And sometimes, Even when the working day has ended, Our minds don't quite get the message. This meditation is an opportunity to create a little space between you and the demands of work. You don't need to solve anything here. You don't need to make yourself feel completely calm, And you don't need to empty your mind of thoughts. Instead, We're simply going to slow things down, Reconnect with the body and breath, And give you permission to step away from work for a little while. So, Wherever you are right now, Find in that comfortable position. And when you're ready, Let's begin. So taking a moment just to settle into that position that feels comfortable for you. You might be sitting in a chair, Lying down, Or simply finding some way that feels safe and undisturbed. And if you've come here straight from work, You don't need to suddenly stop thinking about work. You don't need to force yourself to relax. And you don't need to do this meditation perfectly. For the next few minutes, There is simply nothing you need to achieve. This is a chance to step out of doing and into simply being. As best you can, Just beginning by noticing where your body is being supported. Maybe the chair beneath you or the surface beneath your body just noticing the weight of your body being held. You don't have to hold yourself quite so tightly right now. Just allowing yourself as best you can to be supported. And just gently bringing your attention to your breathing. No need to change the way you're breathing. No need to deepen the breath or slow the breath down. Just noticing it. The air coming in. And the air going out. Perhaps noticing where you feel the breath most clearly. Maybe around your nostrils. Your chest. Or maybe further down in the abdomen. There's no right place to feel it. Just find the place where the breath is easiest to notice. And if your mind is still thinking about work, That's completely okay. You may be thinking about something that happened today. Something you need to do tomorrow. Something maybe you wish you'd handled a little differently. Or perhaps you're simply replaying conversations and tasks from the day. The mind does this, Especially when we're under pressure. So rather than trying to stop those thoughts, Just seeing if you can simply recognize them. Thinking, Planning. Remembering. Worrying And then, As best you can, Gently going back to the breath. You might imagine that each time you breathe out, You're giving yourself permission to put something down. Not forever. Just for now. You don't need to solve tomorrow, Tonight. You don't need to finish every task in your mind. And you don't need to carry the whole working day into this moment. As best you can now, Bringing your attention to your face. Noticing your forehead. The area around your eyes. Your jaw. And as best you can just noticing whether there's any tension there. Without forcing anything. Just allowing the muscles of your face to soften. Letting your jaw unclench. Letting your forehead smooth. Let your eyes rest. Bringing your attentions now to your shoulders. Perhaps they've been carrying a little more than you realised. Notice if they're lifted, Tight, Or tense. And as you breathe out, Just allowing your shoulders to drop just a little bit. Now bringing that awareness down through your arms your hand. Your chest. Your abdomen. There is no need to change anything. Simply noticing. And then down through your hips, Your legs, Your feet. As best you can feeling the contact between your body and whatever is supporting you. Now taking a slightly deeper, Slower breath in. And a long, Comfortable breath out. Again. Slowly breathing in and gently Breathing out. One more time. Breathing in. And letting go on the out-breath. As best you can, Just imagine you're drawing a gentle boundary around this moment. Everything that has happened at work today can remain outside that boundary for a little while. The emails can wait. The unfinished tasks can wait. The conversations can wait. And the things you wish you'd done differently can wait. You can come back to them when you need to. But you don't need to be at work right now. Right now. You are here. And perhaps you can silently say to yourself, For now, I can let the day be finished. For now, I can let the day be finished. And as best you can, Noticing what happens when you give yourself that permission. You might feel calmer. You might not. You might feel tense still or restless and that's okay. The purpose isn't to manufacture a particular feeling. The purpose is to give yourself a little space from whatever you're experiencing. If stress is still present. See if you can relate to it with a little kindness. Rather than what is wrong with me perhaps I'm having a bit of a difficult day rather than why can't I switch off. Maybe my mind is still trying to protect me and keep up with everything. And that's okay. And rather than demanding that you feel better immediately. Simply, Maybe this is difficult and I can be gentle with myself. Taking a moment to notice your whole body again. Notice your breathing. Notice your surroundings. Notice any sounds that might be around you. You don't have to shut the world out. You can simply allow everything to be here. The sounds, The sensations, The thoughts, The breath. Nothing needs to be pushed away. And if a thought about work appears, Just imagine placing that thought on a little cloud and allowing it just to drift away. You don't need to follow it. You don't need to work it out. Just notice and let it pass. Another thought might come, That's okay, Another cloud, And another. You can keep returning to the breath, Coming back again and again without criticism. As best you can feel the breath moving through your body feel yourself being supported and notice that for these few moments You don't have to be productive. You don't have to be useful. You don't have to achieve anything. You can simply exist. As best you can taking another slow breath in and a long breath out. And perhaps offering yourself. A couple of final reminders. I am allowed to rest. I don't have to carry everything right now. Tomorrow can take care of tomorrow. As best you can, Slowly begin to notice the room around you again. The sounds, The temperature of the air, The feeling of your body. Perhaps noticing the surface beneath you. And when you're ready, Gently move your fingers and toes. Maybe rolling the shoulders and if your eyes have been closed allowing them to open slowly As you return to the rest of your day, See if you can take just a little of this space with you. You don't have to carry the whole day into the evening. You can put some of it down, Even if only for a while. Thank yourself for taking these few minutes and remember, You are allowed to rest.