Overriding Overwhelm
Overwhelm
When you can’t see the wood for the trees.
When your brain has too many tabs open.
When everything is just too, too much.
We have all been there, and at this time of the year, it feels like everyone is running headlong into overwhelm. All the emails, the projects to complete, the client quotes to send out, the admin to get on top of, the things you have to do, want to do, feel you should be doing, have to sort for the meeting at work, for 'Victorian Day' at your child's school, plan your holiday, pick up worming tablets for the dog, get to the gym, call that friend you have been meaning to see. Everything. Suddenly everything feels like it is closing in on you.
It is completely normal to feel like this, but, the good news is that there is a fix.
Here are my 5 steps to reigniting your zen.
1. Breathe.
This is probably the most important one. And no, it is not a cop out.
Yes, I could now be talking about meditation, but when you are in ‘plates spinning out of control’ mode, there’s no way you can sit cross-legged, clear your mind and ‘om’ for 10 minutes.
When we are stressed, we naturally take quicker, more shallow breaths, breathing from the chest rather than the big belly breaths from your diaphragm. This tells your brain to kick into your fight-or-flight routine, raising your adrenaline, which over a period drains your energy.
Making you feel more overwhelmed.
Belly-breathing - where you breathe in through your nose so deeply and slowly that your belly expands - will reduce your heart rate, bring more oxygen into your system and tell your brain that you are in a ‘safe place’.
So let’s start simple.
Find somewhere to sit comfortably - could be your office chair, a park bench, even your car seat (once you have pulled over safely and put the handbrake on!).
Close your eyes, or look up at the sky - wherever there is less stimuli than your current situation
Take a deep breath. In through the nose, counting to 6, hold for a second, then breathe out through your mouth to a count of 8. Slowly.
Now, do that four more times
2. Sort your priorities
Get a pen and paper. Not a computer. Hand writing anything activates the left hand side of the brain, which rules learning, reasoning and language.
Now, write a 'sh*t list' of every single thing you have to do and every thought buzzing around your head. Not in any order. Just write.
Now - take a big breath again.
Grab a highlighter, and look at the list. What are the THREE things that you absolutely HAVE to do today/this morning, otherwise the world will end. Not four, not five - three things.
Try, if you can, to make sure that one of your three is just for you. Honestly. Even if it is to have a cup of tea away from your laptop, or soak your feet in an Epsom bath (whilst you get on with something else, if you must), get one dose of sanity in the list.
So, if you achieve nothing else in the day, you know the bare minimum you have to achieve.
Is that beginning to feel better?
3. Meditate
Now it is time to slow down, and quiet the mind.
But how the hell do you quiet the mind if you don’t know how to meditate?
So many of us like the idea of meditating, but don't quite 'get' it, or are expecting thunderbolts, and assume they are doing it wrong. Truth is, nothing much happens, at least to start, and that's sort of the point.
Inspired by the brilliant Mel Robbins, some ideas to get into ‘micro-mindfulness’, get a bit of brain-quiet.
You can use it anytime to increase your happiness.
Think of a few things things you enjoy doing - cooking, gardening, reading a book, hanging with family or hiking in the woods.
Focus on how you feel when you are doing these activities. What do you taste? How does your body feel? What do you hear? What do you smell? Zone in on those senses, and enjoy them in your mind.
The moment you catch your mind drifting to the future, the past or something unrelated to right now, catch yourself and direct your mind back to this moment. Anchor on your senses.
If you have trouble sticking in this moment, try expressing your appreciation for the thing you are doing as a way to quiet your mind and focus on the now.
The more you do this, the easier it becomes.
Through micro-mindfulness you can quiet your mind and experience greater happiness and satisfaction in your life at any moment.
4. Re-evaluate
Now take another look at the list. I suspect it doesn't feel quite so daunting now?
You can now sort these things even further.
Whether you draw them up as a matrix (most urgent, most important), a MoSCoW list (Must have, Should have, Could, Won't) or stick them on all on post its and create a funny face on the office whiteboard - the method matters not, it is the process that counts.
You will now be able to see a small pile of tasks that need doing straight away, a larger pile which you can work through calmly and, often, a sizeable pile that are either unimportant, could be delegated to someone else or can wait until tomorrow/next week/month.
5. Book in a call
If you need some help with overwhelm, or other strategies to make your life more productive and less stressful, book in a free call with me here.