How this 10-minute meditation helped me to tackle an intense and stressful day without getting overwhelmed

I’m not very good at meditation. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve found a guided meditation I like and added it to my routine, then when life gets busy I’ll skip a day or two and forget about it. Without even realizing, I’m back to square one—stressed and overwhelmed again.

Then, repeating the cycle, I’ll find another short meditation online and have the same realization: “Oh yeah, this is why I need to do it.”

This happened to me again during a particularly intense time at work. I had multiple things to do and I didn’t know where to start so I ended up freezing (known as executive dysfunction) and doing nothing at all. Then, I got increasingly stressed about the fact I was doing nothing.

While feeling this way, I found this 10-minute body scan meditation from Headspace and it made all the difference. Here's what I thought about it and how it helped.

How to do it

Managing Stress in Uncertain Times | Free 10-Minute Guided Meditation - YouTube

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How it helped

It acknowledged my restlessness

I have ADHD and struggle to settle into a quiet, meditative state right away so I often feel like a failure.

From the start, the narrator acknowledges that you might feel stillness and restlessness, and both are okay. This felt good to hear, validating my experience and making the practice more accessible.

When my focus drifted during the body scan, the practice gently brought my attention back to my body and breath, without judgment. She reminded me that it’s normal to get caught up in your thoughts, especially for the easily distracted.

Even though it can be hard to focus when my thoughts are all over the place, I know it’s when meditation can help me the most and ground me.

It was a physical check-in as much as a mental one

This meditation guides you through a full-body scan, starting with the back of your body, moving down to your feet, and then up the front to your face.

I’ve found that in my busy, screen-heavy life, I tend to be in my head and disconnect from my body. I miss hunger cues or don’t notice I need to go to the bathroom until it’s urgent.

This simple, 10-minute check-in was like mentally tracing over my body to see how I was feeling—something that felt very grounding. The experience left me calmer, more present, and for a short time out of my head and thoughts.

It didn’t ask me to fix anything

There was no expectation to change or respond to what you’re feeling—just to notice it. This is a helpful and realistic approach, and one I can take with me when I feel stress creeping back in after meditation.

This practice held a space for my discomfort, fidgeting and tension. Without any self-criticism, I was able to simply observe what was going on in my body and mind, and move on, without judging it or trying to push it away.

This felt reassuring, calming and most importantly, doable.