Strange advice? Let me explain.

Many high performers struggle with meditation. They’re told: “Follow the breath. Repeat the mantra. Scan the body.” But instead of letting go, they turn it into another task to perform well. The result? Tension, not relief.

The real healing effect of meditation comes from non-doing, non-striving, relaxing into focus. For people used to measuring themselves by results, that’s often the hardest thing to access.

A better first step in overload is learning relaxation. And it doesn’t have to look spiritual or structured. It can be as simple as:

• 15 minutes walking in the park, phone in airplane mode
• Leaning back in your chair for a couple of minutes after lunch
• A short siesta — or call it a power nap if you prefer high-performance jargon

I speak from experience. I’ve meditated almost daily for 25 years. In my startup and management years, Vipassana or concentration meditations didn’t lower my stress much. What helped most was Yoga Nidra — or simply a nap. Sometimes the smartest practice is the simplest one.

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