OVERCOMING OVERWHELM

Hiee, guys.

Overwhelm. Even the word is heavy. 

We all feel it at different times in our lives. You know the feelings: You have a mile long list of things to do… Decisions looming, big and small.You need to be in 3 places at once, so many fires to put out- everyone needing your attention NOW! Aaahhhhh!!!!!

Overwhelm leaves me like a deer in headlights, sometimes. When there is so much looming ahead of us, instead of “ grabbing the bull by the horns” and charging forward like the captain of the ship,I want to crawl under a rock and hide. Go back to bed? Or…Run away. 

But wherever you go? There YOU are. 
So… what to do?

FIRST and foremost, I remember the Golden Rule: stay in the moment.
Not in the past, which just may be filled with “ coulda, shoulda, woulda’s”, dare I say REGRETS? And most definitely not in the future which can be so terrifying and is unknown! Just the very thought of it can be like stepping out onto a frozen lake: Is this step solid? Is THIS step solid? Panicksville.

So…we stay in the moment, where it is safe. Where we are seated. That’s the very most important step when feeling overwhelmed. There is just NOW. Just this single breath, one at a time and the sky is not falling down. Nothing but here. If we are really panicked, we focus on our breathing: Inhaling for a count of 4, holding for a count of 4 and exhaling for a count of 4. Box breathing. Even used in the Military to CALM down. Slow the heartbeat. Stay present.

 
Ok, now that we are in a better place,we can actually create steps to transform overwhelm into OVERCOME. Because we CAN do what needs to be done. Period.
We start by making a list of ALL the things on our minds that we feel need attention. ALL of them, no matter how minor. Even the phone call you owe your old childhood friend who reached out to you for a catch- up (and now it’s weighing heavy on your mind, even if you’re WAY too busy for a 3 hour reunion!)Write it down. Write down and purge EVERYTHING that you think you need to DO and that you “want” to do-that’s what this list is for. 
This will become a “ to-do” but it is also a cathartic purge. When we get it all out by writing it down, it frees us. It creates space for what matters most. Which is the next step…

Prioritizing. Now we’re gonna look at this list and make 3 columns:*VERY IMPORTANT: DUE NOW*MEDIUM: Needs attention ( this week)*SMALL: will feel good to get done but it’s at my leisure ( adding pics to that photo album,making new recipe, calling that old friend back)

Obviously, only YOU know what truly takes priority in your Life.I like to do this DAILY. This system works best for me. I have my page in Notes on my phone which has a favorite quote at the top and then my DAILY to- do’s, in order of priority. I also keep an IMPORTANT DATES section at the bottom which are events or appointments that are set on the calendar. They may be 2 months down the road but need to be scheduled and I’m not ready to add them into my daily schedule. This way I don’t forget them!

I’m also learning to RELAX. It’s a work in progress. Lol …

If the day is done and there’s still laundry on the floor and a messy house ( I may cringe a bit) BUT I know that It’s Okay! No one is gonna die because my house is messy. I’ve come to realize this, especially since my mom passed. What TRULY matters is the Love in our lives- for those we love and who love us (and love for ourselves). 
Sometimes, I’m ready to “jump into the day”- write the blog,start the laundry, walk the dog and get that workout in and my daughter will ask me to come into her room and hang out with her for a bit. There are times that answer has been “ I’m so sorry, kiddo! I can’t, I have too much to do “. But now, I ask myself “ is the laundry more important then spending time with my daughter?” Let me be clear: I’m not saying don’t go to work, walk your dog or wear clean clothes, but I am saying there is a balance of priorities. Maybe it’s all of it on some days, just shuffled around. Maybe the dog gets walked, the I spend a bit of time with my kiddo and THEN the laundry gets done. You get my point. 

I think we get so caught up in the circumstances of our lives that we forget how powerful we really are. We forget that within the circumstances of our lives, we can make better, more empowered choices.

We can transform Overwhelm into Overcome.

We got this. Erika