Letting Go: A 5-Minute Evening Practice for Heavy Days
Some days stay with you long after they’re over. A hard conversation, a worry that won’t quiet down, a feeling you can’t quite name. This five-minute evening practice is a gentle way to set the day down before sleep.
Minute 1: Arrive
Sit on the edge of your bed with your feet on the floor. Put one hand on your heart. Notice three things you can hear and two things you can feel.
Minute 2: Name it
Say, quietly or in your head, what felt heavy today. Naming a feeling often makes it a little smaller.
Minute 3: Write it out
Write the worry on a scrap of paper. Underneath, write: “I don’t have to solve this tonight.”
Minute 4: Release
Fold the paper and put it in a drawer or a small box. Picture yourself placing the weight down with it.
Minute 5: One kind thing
Finish by naming one kind thing you did today, for someone else or for yourself. It counts, no matter how small.
You don’t have to carry everything at once. You only have to carry today, and today is almost done.