Feeling overwhelmed? Small, effective things you can do when overwhelm strikes.
I don’t know about you, but I noticed an increasing sense of overwhelm in the weeks building up to Christmas. The return to “normal’ busyness of family life with school and activities and birthday parties. Returning to work after the birth of my daughter. Sleep deprivation. And the change of the seasons… all contributing to my feeling that there was just a bit TOO MUCH going on.
At the time, asking these 3 questions helped me pause and return to my centre at that time. I wanted to share these with you now if you are finding yourself feeling overwhelmed today (or any day).
My 3 Questions:
What do I need?
When we are overwhelmed we usually need to address our basic, physiological needs first (the first stage of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid).
Think of the simple things that support you. With basic needs we are talking about: rest, sleep, food, nourishment. For you this might be going for a run or walk, making a smoothie, having a nap, reading a book.
Ask yourself what you need most right now & create little rituals of support to ground and nourish yourself as you live through this.
Who can I ask (for help)?
It can be so tempting to try and figure out everything yourself (or believe you have to). But maybe you have a trusted friend who can hold space for you to share your experience right now?
Or maybe you need to ask your spouse/partner for some practical help. If you are a mama this may mean asking them to take the child(ren) for a chunk of time so you can do some exercise and then have a looong soak in the bath, or a restful afternoon nap without risk of being interrupted!
Or maybe the good ear of a coach? I know it made a big difference for me to have the ear of my coach at the time to work through these questions and work out what I needed most.
How can I ground myself?
When those moments of overwhelm come you can ground yourself by doing a couple of simple exercises:
Exercise 1: Conscious Breathing: stop what you are doing and with one hand on your heart, and the other on your belly, feet placed firmly on the ground, close your eyes and take 5 slow breaths in and out. In through the nose and out through the mouth. If you notice you are shallow breathing gradually increase the depth of the breath, connecting to the abdomen and slowing things down.
Exercise 2: think of (or write down) 5 things you know to be true in this moment. You can try this now.
You can do these exercises several times a day, whenever you need it, to support you in coming back to centre.
–
I hope this helps. If you are finding yourself in the thick of it right now, be gentle on yourself. Self-compassion in these moments is key.
Wishing you a nourishing, peaceful weekend,
Elle xo
