I don't get why we don't talk more about meditation. Meditation has been a constant tool in my life. There were periods when I forgot about it. But I always come back to it.

At the moment I'm onboarding on a new job and the overwhelming flux of new information can be quite stressful or disorienting.

By the end of the first week I was already dealing with a heavy brain fog. I was going from one document to another, without really knowing what I was doing.

I then decided to meditate. I took a 10-minute guided meditation. A very simple one. Throughout the entire meditation, I heard and felt my brain burning. All those thoughts were jumping freely in my mind and initially, it felt like the meditation wasn't doing anything. But that's the most common mistake beginners make. Not believing the process. You might not notice it at first, but it is working.

By the end, I felt a small sense of relief. A bit more clarity. My thoughts were still a bit blurry, but I could make sense of them. I could at least plan my next steps better.

Meditation is a habit. This is where its biggest impact lies. This time, a small meditation session gave me some temporary mental clarity. But when you meditate often, you are less likely to be overwhelmed. Or at least you can easily recenter and find clarity. That mental clarity and sharpness last longer. Meditation becomes one of the most important tools to deal with stress.

This experience reminded me of something important: recognizing when I’m overwhelmed. Perhaps one of the most important lessons we all need to learn is to recognize when we're overwhelmed or stressed. The sooner you realize you've crossed the threshold of a healthy, optimal, mental state, the easier it is to return to it. Most people go through it without even realizing. Or just accepting it and not doing anything. Not even noticing that your performance is rapidly deteriorating. Waiting until the weekend, a vacation or a burnout. Being overwhelmed, stressed or mentally overloaded is inevitable and you shouldn't try to avoid it. There is no escape from it. Being overwhelmed is as natural as being breathless after a sprint run. And sometimes you have to run. When you are breathless, you sit down, breathe deeply and try to slow down your heart. We should do exactly the same, but to slow down our brains.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how clear are your thoughts? 10 being the most focused and centered. If your answer is below 7, I recommend taking a few minutes to meditate.

If you are new to meditation, try this one.