Lately, I have been feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I am balancing many things: full-time work, being a mother and wife, my acupuncture practice, my business, my wellness center, and pursuing my doctorate degree, just to name the big ones. (Hah!)
Sometimes it takes hitting bottom, or close to it, before we remember to practice the things that help us feel better. I’m sharing the ways that I get out of the feeling of overwhelm and back on track.
- Set reminders throughout the day to get up and walk around for a couple minutes, do some quick yoga poses, or do deep breathing/meditation. Bonus tip: Use a scheduling program or app to program the reminders to pop up on your computer or phone, rather than relying on your memory, and treat them just as importantly as you would a work meeting or important phone call.
- Talk to someone if you can and it’s productive (not just complaining). Chatting with someone in person or over the phone can also sometimes give you the perspective you may need to help you move through the emotions or any frustration you may have. If you are angry or have something that you need to off-load/vent about, consider writing an email draft that you never send. Putting words to what you are feeling can be very helpful, even if it’s just in a draft email or your journal. A draft email or electronic journal entry can be easily deleted once you’ve worked through the concerns. I treat deleting these emails like a type of ritualistic release, letting go of the stress or issues once I hit the delete button.
- Surrender. Let whatever is bothering you go, and give it up to God or whatever higher power you may believe in. It’s scary being in the unknowing, but have faith that there is a higher purpose to all of this, that you will make it through, and this feeling of overwhelm will not last forever.
- Going hand in hand with surrender, is getting out of the driver’s seat. Stop trying to control things that are totally out of your control. Keep taking steps forward with what you can do, but leave the extraneous stuff and details up to God or that higher power. Chaos is often all around us, but if we stay laser focused on our purpose and taking small steps to achieve our dreams and goals, the rest falls into place. We often get overwhelmed and freaked out when we try to figure out the details that aren’t up to us to figure out. Just let it go, and get in the passenger seat.
- Schedule in fun. Have a dance party in your living room with your kids. Go to the library and check out a new book or audio book that you’ve been dying to read/hear. Go for a walk or run around the neighborhood. Call up the girls or guys and have a girls’/guys’ night. Make time for a heart-to-heart with your bestie. Do what makes you come alive, because if you get caught up in the details and forget the joys in life, you will be absolutely miserable and feel like you’re drowning. It can feel like just another thing to schedule, I get it, I really do…but it’s important. Even if it’s only 5-10 minutes, it’s like pushing a reset button that is desperately needed.
So try these out and let me know what you think. If you have any tips to share, I’d love to hear them!
xo,
Jen
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