Job Stress: Are You Stuck Or Scared?

Work stress isn't always what it looks like. Sometimes it's fear of losing what you have, sometimes it's fear of staying exactly where you are. This meditation helps you tell the difference, question whether you're chasing someone else's definition of success, and reconnect with what's actually in your control: the skills you're building, the people you're supporting, the growth still available to you, even in an uncertain market. A grounding, breath-based practice for anyone carrying career anxiety, job insecurity, or quiet burnout who wants clarity, not false comfort.

Transcript

Welcome to this meditation on, Are you stuck or scared? It's about work stress. I'm Steve Walker, A meditation teacher and life coach. Make sure you're in a comfortable position. Ideally seated. With your back supported and your feet. Planted firmly on the ground. Close your eyes or softly gaze across the room. And just focus on your breathing and the sound of my voice. Initially, Just a normal cadence, In and out through your nose. Now let's take one. Settling breath. To calm our nervous systems. And ground us in this present moment. So take a slow, Deep breath. In through your nose for a count of four. Hold it at the top. And then out through your mouth for a count of six. Now, Go back to your normal cadence for breathing. And do a quick body scan. Let's see where there's some stress in your body. Start at the crown of your head. And work your way down. How does your forehead feel? Your jaw. Your throat and your neck. Your shoulders. Your chest. You're back. Your stomach. Your hips and your pelvis area. Your legs and your feet. Be mindful of where your stress shows up in your body. And be curious. About what is behind the stress. And try to breathe through that part of your body. To relieve some of the stress and tension that you're holding there. Whenever we're stressed. Or anxious or afraid. Or somehow disrupted emotionally or mentally. It can be really helpful to do a body scan and first identify where the stress or anxiety or fear is residing, Is holding up in your body. Even this can sometimes dissipate. The emotion that we're feeling to some extent. We start to use the analytical part of our brain. And that comes. The nervous system. Next, We should try to identify what kind of stress we're actually experiencing. The reality is. Not all work stress is the same. In your case right now, Is your stress a big existential stress about losing the job, Potentially? Or maybe. It's about a fear of staying exactly where you are. Different feelings and different causes underlying those feelings. Need different fixes. So sit with this a moment. What do you think is causing your stress? What's the underlying cause? In some cases. This is about a need for validation. Maybe it's about the title that you have or that you think you should have. Or other people are telling you you should have. Or maybe it's the promotion. That you put in for or that you're waiting for. Or you think is overdue. Maybe it's important to you. For your growth. But maybe. . . It's about proving something to someone else. A parent. Your peer group. A partner. Co-workers. Or just the narrative that society has that success is determined by how much you make. And what the title is. On your job. Whose definition of success are you actually chasing here? Is that what's causing the stress? Maybe there's a misalignment. Between what actually brings you satisfaction and joy. And meaning and purpose. And what society or your parents or someone else told you. Success is defined by. Sometimes. Our job. Is not in alignment. With our core values, Our core beliefs. Our vision for who we are and who we want to be. Is that misalignment what's causing you stress? Let's take another couple of deep cleansing breaths. So that you can sit with these questions about what is underlying. Your stress right now. So again. Nice deep breaths in through your nose for a count of four. Hold it at the top for a second or two. And then out slowly through your mouth for a count of six. Repeat that two or three times. As you sit with. These questions about what's really underlying your stress. Let's look at what are the controllables? What are the things that are within your circle of control? That might help alleviate some of your stress and give you a clearer path forward. So think about it. Skills that you could build. Courses that you could take. Experience you could seek out. New tasks you could take on. Help that you could ask for. Things that you can delegate. People you could support or empower. New opportunities worth applying for. Do any of these resonate with you? Are there other steps that you could take? That might help address what's causing you stress. Maybe your fear of staying exactly where you are. Might be helped. By looking at what jobs are being advertised right now internally within your company or organization. And externally. See what's out there. Is there anything that's intriguing that you might want to apply for? If not… then think about the things that would allow you to grow within the organization or company. That brings us back to the skills you could build, The courses you could take. The new experiences you could seek. New tasks you could take on. If your stress is about. Work-life balance. Well, There is no such thing as work-life balance. But maybe it's about looking at the way in which your life might not be in alignment in every aspect of your life. Existence. Maybe. Your home life is not in alignment with who you are and who you want to be. Maybe the way you use your time at work or outside of work is not in alignment. With your priorities, What is important to you. Sometimes we need help figuring this out. Is there a mentor you could talk to? Or a life coach. The reality is. That even inside a lot of uncertainty, There's usually agency. There are things you can control. And the first step is often figuring out. What's one thing I could control right now? And let me take one small step. In that direction. Exercising that agency. So if you can figure out. Are you stuck or are you scared? Either way, What's one thing that's within your control today? That might get you unstuck. Or get you a little less scared. About the future. Sometimes that one small thing that gives us a sense of control is all we need to break the spell. Of the stuckness or the fear. Or whatever else is causing us stress. And one small step after another starts to build momentum. And confidence. So let's commit to one small thing this week. That you're going to do. To help move yourself forward a bit. And let's seal that with another nice, Slow, Deep cleansing breath. In through your nose. Hold it at the top for a second or two, And then out slowly through your mouth. I hope this was helpful. If you'd like to dig deeper or have a conversation about your current situation, Make sure you're following me and reach out to me. Have a great rest of your day.