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<v Speaker 1>Hello, and welcome to grief. Let's make sense of this shit.

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<v Speaker 1>Today we focus on a five minute practice for making

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<v Speaker 1>space for tears. This short practice fits into a busy

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<v Speaker 1>grief day because it carves out a contained window without

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<v Speaker 1>asking you to clear your whole schedule. No special setup

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<v Speaker 1>or prior experience is required at all. You can start

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<v Speaker 1>from wherever you are right now. Shift your position until

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<v Speaker 1>it feels steady enough for these next minutes. Let your

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<v Speaker 1>shoulders ease down if that helps. Your hands can rest

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<v Speaker 1>in your lap or by your sides. Nothing about this

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<v Speaker 1>needs to look a certain way. The practice ahead stays

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<v Speaker 1>straightforward on purpose. It simply offers tiers a place to

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<v Speaker 1>arrive without extra demands or explanations. Grief days often fill

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<v Speaker 1>quickly with tasks and distractions, so these five minutes create

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<v Speaker 1>one small opening that belongs only to you. You bring

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<v Speaker 1>nothing beyond your presence to it. As you settle in,

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<v Speaker 1>we will move into the prect together. Let your attention

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<v Speaker 1>rest lightly on how your body feels in this moment.

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<v Speaker 1>Find a comfortable spot where you can sit or lie

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<v Speaker 1>down without needing to move for the next few minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>Once you are settled, allow your body to rest against

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<v Speaker 1>the surface beneath you. Set a timer for five minutes

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<v Speaker 1>so you do not have to keep track of time yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>Begin by softening the muscles in your face and jaw,

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<v Speaker 1>Let your shoulders drop a little lower, and let your

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<v Speaker 1>hands rest wherever they feel natural. Notice any places where

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<v Speaker 1>you still feel tension, and see if you can release

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<v Speaker 1>a small amount of that tightness without forcing anything. As

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<v Speaker 1>you stay here, turn your attention toward the urge to cry.

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<v Speaker 1>If it is present. You do not have to make

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<v Speaker 1>tears come, and you do not have to hold them back.

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<v Speaker 1>Simply notice the sensation in your chest or throat and

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<v Speaker 1>let it be there. Breathe in a gentle rhythm that

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<v Speaker 1>feels steady rather than deep. Each breath can move at

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<v Speaker 1>its own pace while you keep some awareness on the

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<v Speaker 1>feeling that wants to surface. If a thought appears that

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<v Speaker 1>says you should stop, or that this is taking too long,

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<v Speaker 1>you can try one of two short phrases in your mind.

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<v Speaker 1>The first is this sensation belongs here for now. The

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<v Speaker 1>second is I can stay with this without changing it.

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<v Speaker 1>Use whichever one fits, or use neither. If the moment

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<v Speaker 1>does not call for words, continue letting the breath move

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<v Speaker 1>while you observe what happens with the urge. Tears may

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<v Speaker 1>arrive or they may stay quiet. Either outcome is part

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<v Speaker 1>of the same practice. Keep returning to the softness in

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<v Speaker 1>your body each time your attention drifts. When the timer

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<v Speaker 1>signals the end, keep your eyes closed for a little longer.

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<v Speaker 1>Move your attention slowly around the room by noticing any

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<v Speaker 1>sounds that reach you. Feel the weight of your body

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<v Speaker 1>once more against the surface you chose. Then bring a

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<v Speaker 1>brief check to your shoulders, your jaw, and your hands

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<v Speaker 1>to see whether they have stayed soft or tightened again.

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<v Speaker 1>This sequence works because the simple act of staying present

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<v Speaker 1>with the urge allows the nervous system to complete a

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<v Speaker 1>small cycle of tension and release. By removing the pressure

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<v Speaker 1>to produce tears or to suppress them, the body receives

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<v Speaker 1>permission to follow its own timing. The timer creates a

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<v Speaker 1>clear boundary, so the mind does not have to decide

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<v Speaker 1>when the moment should finish. The gentle breath keeps oxygen

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<v Speaker 1>flowing steadily, which supports the parasympathetic response that often follows

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<v Speaker 1>after strong emotion. Has been acknowledged. Because the practice lasts

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<v Speaker 1>only five minutes, it stays short enough that most people

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<v Speaker 1>can return to daily tasks afterward without feeling overwhelmed. The

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<v Speaker 1>two silent phrases serve as anchors when judgment shows up

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<v Speaker 1>because they redirect attention back to the present sensation instead

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<v Speaker 1>of into a story about what the feeling means. A

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<v Speaker 1>slow return to the room helps the mind register that

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<v Speaker 1>the practice has ended, so the body does not remain

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<v Speaker 1>in a state of focused inward attention. The final body

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<v Speaker 1>check reinforces the softening that began at the start and

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<v Speaker 1>gives a concrete way to notice any shifts that occurred

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<v Speaker 1>during the minutes. Over time, these steps together train a

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<v Speaker 1>steadier response to the waves that grief brings, because each

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<v Speaker 1>repetition strengthens the ability to remain with sensation without adding

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<v Speaker 1>extra layers of resistance. Research from William Frye at the

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<v Speaker 1>University of Minnesota in his book Crying the Mystery of

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<v Speaker 1>Tears from nineteen eighty five, points out that tears can

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<v Speaker 1>carry stress hormones out of the body. This process happens

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<v Speaker 1>when the body releases what it has been holding during

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<v Speaker 1>moments of release, because the practice you just moved through

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<v Speaker 1>creates space for that release. In a short stretch of time.

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<v Speaker 1>It gives your system a chance to let some of

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<v Speaker 1>that tension move rather than staying stored. The thing is

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<v Speaker 1>that setting aside this window means the urge does not

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<v Speaker 1>have to fight for attention all through the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>your day. Instead of pushing the feeling down while you

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<v Speaker 1>handle other things, you allow it a contained place. That

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<v Speaker 1>shift can ease the constant effort of holding back, which

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<v Speaker 1>often adds extra strain on top of what grief already brings.

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<v Speaker 1>In other words, the body does not stay in the

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<v Speaker 1>same state of alert when it knows there will be

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<v Speaker 1>time later or now to let tears come. This approach

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<v Speaker 1>links directly to lower overall physiological tension during grief, because

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<v Speaker 1>the practice reduces the pressure to suppress emotions every hour.

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<v Speaker 1>You can return to this same sequence whenever it fits

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<v Speaker 1>into your schedule again. You can return to this same

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<v Speaker 1>practice whenever the urge to cry shows up on its own.

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<v Speaker 1>Because the window stays flexible, you might try it on

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<v Speaker 1>a day when tears sit close to the surface, yet

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<v Speaker 1>other demands keep pulling at your attention. The five minutes

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<v Speaker 1>remain optional, so you can shorten them if time feels tight,

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<v Speaker 1>or extend them if the body asks for more room.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of forcing a schedule, you simply notice whether the

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<v Speaker 1>body or mood registers even a small shift. Afterward, that

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<v Speaker 1>quiet check often reveals whether the rest of the day

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<v Speaker 1>moves with a bit less pressure. While the practice itself

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<v Speaker 1>stays simple, its value grows from repetition on your own terms,

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<v Speaker 1>rather than from any fixed length. If this podcast helps

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<v Speaker 1>you make sense of your grief, join our supporters club

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<v Speaker 1>and help us keep these conversations going. You will find

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<v Speaker 1>the link in the episode description. The link sits right

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<v Speaker 1>there whenever you are ready to look. Since each time

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<v Speaker 1>you set aside the space, the body learns it does

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<v Speaker 1>not have to carry everything alone. The choice stays yours

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<v Speaker 1>to repeat or adjust as needed.