Sitting With Yourself for 10 minutes (Yes, You Can Do That)
When I first started my healing journey, sitting with myself for 10 minutes felt way harder than it should have. Not because I didn’t have the time—but because I was really good at staying busy. Productive busy. Helpful busy. “If i just keep moving, I don’t have to feel anything” busy. Silence felt uncomfortable. My thoughts were loud. My body stayed tense. I didn’t yet know how to be with myself without trying to distract, fix or push through.
But healing didn’t start when I figured things out. It started when I stopped running.
Why Sitting With Yourself Feels So Uncomfortable
Let’s be honest — most of us aren’t avoiding stillness because we’re lazy. We’re avoiding it because stillness has a way of telling the truth.
When you slow down, your nervous system finally gets a word in. Thoughts surface. Emotions tap you on the shoulder. That uncomfortable urge to grab your phone, clean something, or suddenly remember an “urgent” task? That’s not failure. That’s awareness. And awareness is where change begins.
The 10-Minute Practice (No Enlightment Required)
This isn’t meditation. There’s no gold star for clearing your mind or sitting like a monk.
It’s simply this:
Sit somewhere quiet
Set a timer for 10 minutes
Breathe normally
Don’t fix anything
That’s it.
Your mind will wander. You may feel restless. You might decide this is a terrible idea around minute three. Totally normal.
Instead of fighting it, try asking:
What am I noticing right now?
What does my body need in this moment?
What have I been avoiding by staying busy?
No journaling required. No breakthroughs expected. Just notice.
What This Actually Builds
Over time, sitting with yourself builds emotional safety. You realize you can feel uncomfortable without falling apart, spiraling, or needing to reorganize your entire life. That skill makes healing easier, boundaries clearer, and self-trust a lot stronger. You learn you don’t need to escape discomfort to survive it. You just need to stay.
Clients often tell me this practice helps them recognize how often they’ve been operating in survival mode—pushing through, overthinking, people-pleasing, or numbing out instead of listening. This is how that pattern starts to shift.
Coaching Perspective
Healing doesn’t come from pushing harder or thinking more. It comes from learning how to listen—especially to yourself.
Sitting with yourself for 10 minutes is not passive. It’s an active choice to slow your nervous system, build awareness, and stop abandoning yourself when things feel uncomfortable.
It’s simple. It’s not always easy.
A Question for You
If you gave yourself 10 uninterrupted minute today — no fixing , not distracting, no performing —what might you notice?
And what could change if you trusted yourself enough to listen?
You don;t need to this perfectly. You just need to begin.
Ten minutes is enough.
