When you are distressed, simply note that something has gone.

Chase-Meng “Meng” Tan is a Google pioneer, award-winning engineer, best-selling author, and meditation guru. He says this important practice brings relief when we are in physical pain, emotional distress, and/or mental confusion. By concentrating on the fact that each sensory insult passes, micro-relief is constantly available. We then gain greater awareness of the absence of pain (physical/emotional/mental) and chaos and disorientation gradually disappear.

1. Notice that something previously experienced is no more. It has faded away.
   This might be a breath, a sound, a thought, an emotion.

2. Whenever all or part of a sensory experience suddenly disappears, note that.
   Clearly acknowledge when you detect the transition point between all of it being present and at least some of it no longer being present.

3. If you wish, use a mental label such as ‘gone’ to help you notice endings.

4. Just keep hanging out until something vanishes.
   If nothing goes away for a while, that’s fine.

5. If you start worrying about the fact that nothing is ending, note that.
   Note each time that thought ends. If you have a lot of mental sentences you will have a lot of ‘gone’ labels.