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TÂM ANMỖI NGÀY

A Five-Minute Meditation While Waiting for Results

Tâm An mỗi ngày4 min read
A row of pale plastic chairs in a quiet waiting corridor, a knitted cardigan draped over the back of one chair

A green plastic chair, ticket number 47 in your hand, the screen only up to 39. Or an inbox refreshed for the tenth time, waiting for a reply after an interview. Or a message sent long ago that still has not turned to "seen". Mom texts: "Any results yet?" I type back: "Not yet, Mom, eight more numbers." Then I look up at the screen again.

The five minutes below will not make the result better, and they will not make the wait shorter. I am not promising that. They only give the waiting somewhere to rest, instead of letting your mind run from one scenario to the next.

Read it slowly, or record yourself reading it and listen with one earbud, leaving the other ear free if you are waiting for your name. Eyes open or closed, either is fine. If you are feeling chest tightness or trouble breathing right now, do not meditate: tell the nearest person or a staff member straight away.

Settling in

Find somewhere you can sit.

A plastic chair is fine. A step is fine.

Rest your phone face down on your lap…

Or hold it loosely, if you are waiting for a call.

You are waiting. That is the only job right now.

You do not have to wait well.

Anchoring

Notice both feet on the tiled floor…

Is the tile cool, or warm?

Notice where your back meets the chair.

Now, breathe out a little longer than usual…

No need for a big breath in first. Just a long breath out.

One more time…

Your mind will run off. To the result. To "what if".

That is all right. It is trying to worry for you.

When you notice it running, whisper: "Ahead of myself again."

Then come back to your feet.

Right here, right now, the result has not arrived.

There is only the chair. The breath. The numbers being called.

Listen to the sounds around you…

Sandals shuffling. The air conditioner. Someone coughing.

You do not have to like those sounds. Just hear them.

Rest one hand on your chest, or on your belly…

Notice the warmth of your own hand.

If your heart is beating fast, let it beat.

You do not have to make it slow down.

Breathe out long… three more times.

One…

Two…

Three…

Closing

You are still waiting.

The result has not come yet.

The last five minutes have passed.

And you stayed with them.

Look at one thing in front of you. Name it.

The screen. A door. A potted plant.

Think of one next thing, just one.

A sip of water. One word to Mom. Stand and stretch your legs.

When the result comes, whatever it is…

you are allowed to ask someone to sit beside you.

Practice · 5 min

Five minutes while you wait

  1. 1.Sit down, phone face down, or held loosely if you are waiting for a call
  2. 2.Notice both feet and where your back meets the chair
  3. 3.Breathe out longer than usual, three times
  4. 4.When your mind races to the result, whisper "ahead of myself again" and come back to your feet
  5. 5.Listen for three sounds around you
  6. 6.Choose one next thing, then do it

If five minutes still feels long

Some days, one minute in, you want to jump up. That does not mean you are doing it wrong. When you are waiting for important news, sitting still can make the worry sound louder.

Then try the walking version. Walk slowly down the corridor, count your steps to the end and back, and breathe out long each time you turn around. Still five minutes, just with your body moving.

And if your mind keeps dragging you back to one worst-case scenario, do not argue with it. The piece on worrying at three in the morning goes further into exactly this.

May your waiting today have somewhere to rest.

When to seek professional support

This article is five minutes of guidance for a wait. It cannot replace treatment, and I am not promising the result you are waiting for will be good news, or that the worry will ease exactly when you need it to.

But here are a few signs you should bring to a professional, rather than carrying them alone:

  • While waiting, you feel chest tightness, trouble breathing, or a pounding heart with dizziness: tell the staff there straight away, and if it happens again, get checked to rule out a physical cause
  • Worry about the result keeps you from sleeping or eating for several days in a row
  • The result is in but the worry has not eased after several weeks, or the result is hard news and you are taking it in alone
  • You think about hurting yourself, even if it is just a passing thought

The last point cannot wait. Speak with someone you trust, today. The Emergency Support page explains what holds true in moments like that.

Asking the doctor to explain a result one more time, or finding someone to talk to after hard news, is something a great many people do, not a sign of weakness.

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