These last few weeks have been incredibly busy and emotionally draining for me. We have all been there – when it seems that everything is hitting us at once. It’s so tiring and we often get run down and don’t perform at our best. It’s hard to catch yourself before the feelings over being overwhelmed start to make you feel as though you are drowning, but here are some ways you can try.
Notice if any of the following are happening:
• Skipping workouts
• Craving sweets
• Waking up at 4 am going through the “to do” list
• Feeling like everything is “so hard”
• Taking things personally
• Letting the negative self-talk dominate the conversation in your mind
It’s almost like a snowball that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Anyone of these things alone might not be a problem but combine 2-3 of them and there are clear warning signs that you need to do something, and do it fast!
Here are some ways to check-in with yourself and get back on track:
1. Come up with the image or a metaphor of how you feel right now in this moment.
Examples might be: like the air is sucked out of you or the plate spinner is watching all the plates crash to the ground or running through the mouse maze and banging into walls. After you have the clear image of what is true for you right now, think of how you want it to be. Examples might be: like the energizer bunny or a train going easily down the track or getting air back in the tires. Once you have that image in mind, ask yourself what you would need to start doing, keep doing or stop doing in order to get there.
2. Talk to your team.
This could be your work team or your personal team. Ask for help, support or simply just a morale boost. They want to help you!
3. Get to your workouts.
Nothing works better then physically getting the stress out. If you make that time sacred, you will get better sleep, you will be able to respond to others from a more even place and you will feel better about yourself!
4. Take the night off.
Turn your computer and your phone off. What a difference it makes to just let yourself “be” for a little while.
5. Get together with or call the people that make you feel good.
This could be old friends, someone who always looks up to you, someone who acts the way you wish you could or someone who forces you to honor the things that mean most to you. Just connect to them and their contagious energy.
6. Get outside!
Connect with nature by walking the dog, playing with the kids or just sitting on the front step. Being with nature allows you to unplug from all that is stressing you out and just be in the moment.
I encourage you to try some of the above tools and see how it goes. I am curious what you do to help when overload leads to overwhelm?