I wrote this article seven years ago 6 Solutions for Feeling Out of Your Depth at Work
It’s one of my most read articles so I was keen to revisit this, especially as so much has happened since then, and I have a slightly different approach now. I previously suggested taking a short five minute meditation before reflecting on six solutions, but if you’ve got a lot going on and you genuinely can’t think straight, before you attempt any of the solutions which I do think are all still valid, take more time out — at least a day.
I think before, I kind of brushed over how importance giving yourself time actually is!
So, before you try to solve the problem, I invite you to take a step back to meditate and find stillness. You can then set the intention to find the best solution to you feeling overwhelmed, sleep on it and see which solution you’re drawn to, or what step you need to take next.
The importance of taking a step back
After quitting my job in 2016 to teach yoga and work on my website full time, I could so easily have launched head first into doing loads more things, but instead, I meditated more, I took up the Wim Hof Method (You can read more about my experience of that here), and even became an artists’ model, which involved spending hours at a time in what felt like a meditation.
After a while, I noticed how important stillness is for clarity of thought. It’s impossible to think straight if you never allow yourself this space. As a lover of self improvement and personal development books, articles and podcasts, sometimes the answer isn’t just another solution straight away — but the opposite of that. To take time out. And then when you do this, you know which solution is best rather than stumbling about in the dark trying to find the answer.
You could liken it to a clear glass bowl of water filled with mud, sand and other stuff. If you’re constantly moving the water, it becomes really murky and you can’t see anything. If you let it sit for a moment, all the mud and sand sinks to the bottom and the water becomes clear.
This isn’t to say, just do nothing. But rather than thinking you have to have all the answers right now, give yourself permission to take a step back, meditate and let your brain work on it as you sleep.
Useful Meditations
Here are 5 useful resources and meditations that might help — which are to be practised before you try to find a solution
Focus on your breath
Give yourself 10-20 minutes to sit comfortably and meditate by focusing on your breath and making your exhalation slightly longer. This will take you into a deeper state of relaxation. Nothing is required here — just you and your breath
Try a Meditation App or guided meditations on Youtube
You could ty Headspace which has a free trial and involves daily, accessible meditations which can be incorporated easily into the rest of your life. I also have a series of guided meditations that you can check out here.
Here’s one of my guided Yoga Nidra Sessions
Journaling meditation
Spend a few minutes in silence, focusing on your breath and then journal about feeling overwhelmed. You can probe deeper by asking yourself why that might be as you write more.
Get into the flow state
Get into a flow state similar to meditating, by doing some artwork, going for a jog, or playing an instrument.
Utilize your dreams to help you solve problems
I’m a big believer in using sleep and dreams to help you solve problems in life. You can check out Charlie Morley’s free masterclass which you can access for free below
How To Experience Lucid Dreams So Powerful, They Transform Your Waking Life (Affiliate link)
I hope some of these meditations help and guide you to a solution that works, or maybe even the space and time to reflect will be enough. Let me know how you get on.
