Emotions like sadness and anxiety can feel heavy, overwhelming, and sometimes even defining. They show up uninvited and often stay longer than we want. Yet both are part of the human experience—and they carry important messages. The challenge isn’t in having these emotions, but in how we relate to them.
At Inner Unity Therapy, I’ve recorded two meditations designed to help you gently release sadness or anxiety, using the principles of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and mindfulness. The meditation follows the same compassionate script for both emotions, with tailored language depending on what you’re experiencing.
Whether you’re feeling weighed down by grief or stuck in a cycle of worry, this practice invites you to connect with yourself—not to force change, but to make space for healing.
Why IFS and Mindfulness Work Together
Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps us understand that emotions like sadness or anxiety are not who we are—they’re parts of us. In IFS, these parts are often protectors or exiles: aspects of our internal world carrying pain or trying to shield us from it. By getting to know these parts with compassion, we create space for healing from the inside out.
Mindfulness, on the other hand, helps us stay grounded in the present moment. It teaches us to observe without judgment and breathe through discomfort, rather than avoid or suppress it.
Together, IFS and mindfulness form a powerful foundation for emotional healing. Research supports both approaches:
- Mindfulness meditation has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression (Khoury et al., 2013; Kuyken et al., 2016). It also improves emotion regulation by strengthening neural networks involved in attention and awareness (Holzel et al., 2011).
- IFS therapy is gaining recognition as an evidence-based approach that improves emotional resilience and reduces internal conflict (Mahrer et al., 2020; Anderson et al., 2017).
About the Meditation: Letting Go of Sadness or Anxiety
This meditation gently guides you through:
- Settling into the body with breath and awareness
- Inviting the feeling of sadness or anxiety to be acknowledged
- Breathing through emotion, without trying to fix or avoid it
- Creating inner space for your feelings to soften
- A visualization of release at the edge of the ocean
- A return to the heart, connecting with inner compassion
- Loving-kindness phrases to close with warmth and self-support
The structure is the same for both versions—only the language of “sadness” or “anxiety” changes. This allows you to return to the same script during different emotional states, creating familiarity and safety over time.
Why This Works
In IFS, emotions like sadness or anxiety are often carried by “parts” of us that haven’t been fully witnessed or supported. When you take time to slow down, breathe, and turn toward these emotions with kindness, something shifts. The parts holding those feelings begin to relax. They realize they’re not alone.
Similarly, mindfulness allows you to observe without blending—meaning, you can feel anxious without becoming anxiety, or feel sad without collapsing into sadness. This spacious awareness builds inner resilience.
“You are not your anxiety. You are not your sadness. You are the one who can notice it, hold it, and heal it.”
Who These Meditations Are For
These meditations are for you if:
- You tend to over-identify with sadness or anxiety, feeling stuck or fused with those states
- You’re learning to slow down and relate compassionately to your inner experience
- You want a gentle, therapeutic alternative to goal-driven meditation apps
- You’re doing parts work (IFS therapy) and want a practice to deepen your connection to Self
How to Use Them & Listen Now
You can use the Letting go of sadness or Letting go of anxiety meditation whenever you’re feeling emotionally activated, or as a regular part of your self-care routine. Some people listen before bed to help the nervous system unwind. Others return to it after therapy sessions to reinforce their internal work.
You may want to:
- Set aside 15–20 minutes in a quiet space, the recordings are shorter but it can be helpful to have quiet before and following the practice
- Listen with headphones for a more immersive experience
- Keep a journal nearby to record thoughts or parts that come up
- Gently place a hand on your heart during the closing section for extra grounding
Closing Thoughts
You don’t have to force your emotions away. In fact, trying to push them down often gives them more power. The path forward is gentler: witness, breathe, soften. These meditations are designed to help you do just that.
When you begin relating to your sadness or anxiety as parts of you that need care, rather than problems to solve, you build the kind of emotional safety that leads to lasting healing.
Thank yourself for showing up—for being willing to feel, and to heal.
References
Anderson, F. S., Sweezy, M., & Schwartz, R. C. (2017). Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual: Trauma-Informed Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, PTSD & Substance Abuse. PESI Publishing & Media.
Gotink, R. A., Chu, P., Busschbach, J. J., Benson, H., Fricchione, G. L., & Hunink, M. M. (2015). Standardised mindfulness-based interventions in healthcare: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of RCTs. PloS One, 10(4), e0124344. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124344
Holzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(6), 537–559. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611419671
Khoury, B., Lecomte, T., Fortin, G., Masse, M., Therien, P., Bouchard, V., … & Hofmann, S. G. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(6), 763–771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.05.005
Kuyken, W., Warren, F. C., Taylor, R. S., Whalley, B., Crane, C., Bondolfi, G., … & Dalgleish, T. (2016). Efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in prevention of depressive relapse: An individual patient data meta-analysis from randomized trials. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(6), 565–574. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0076
Mahrer, N. E., Gold, J. I., Ramsey, J. F., & Lanham, A. (2020). Internal family systems therapy and emotion-focused therapy: A theoretical integration. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 30(1), 118–132. https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000216