exhaustion

solve overwhelm

Have you lost your sense of calm equanimity recently?  Or your work-life balance?

Have you just lost your balance and feel overwhelmed?

A major issue with being overwhelmed is that we frequently fail to recognize it from the start, and before we know it, we find ourselves completely immersed in it.

 Feeling overwhelmed is the problem of being caught in the illusion that there is too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Your first reaction might be to say it’s no illusion,I do have too much to do,” but THAT could just be part of the cause of your problem.

 Too much perspective

Let’s address the “TOO MUCH”  perspective first.   When we have TOO MUCH of ANYTHING, it’s because we have not edited things down to what is truly meaningful and realistic.  That is, we have not identified our meaningful simplicity.

When you expect yourself to accomplish more than is humanly possible, and you are only human, something is out of alignment.  Either you are not taking effective action to get things done, or you haven’t made things practical enough. So, why not simplify things?

Fast action activity:  Here is how to get organized when feeling overwhelmed:

Write a list.  Thinking about letting go of anything that is not meaningful, important, or urgent.  If you have things on your to-do list that are not urgent, important, or meaningful, you might want to reassess why you were going to try to do them.  One energy-giving activity is to consider STOP doing the that are not important, meaningful, or urgent.  Here is a downloadable form to use.

Your second reaction might be to say,I SHOULD be able to do this.”  That judgment might be giving legs to your problem of being overwhelmed!

 Low compassion for self-perspective

It’s an all-to-frequent sand trap we can fall into when we think we can do it all.

We often push ourselves too hard and take on too many obligations. When we eventually fail and feel exhausted, we spend too much time criticizing ourselves and dwelling on negative thoughts about the situation.

Here’s a different way to think about it: rather than feeling guilty of not getting something done, ask yourself why you were trying to do it in the first place. Was it out of obligation or because you wanted to?  If the answer is an obligation, free yourself from those expectations and allow yourself permission to drop them.  There may still be things that you need:

If you are stuck, it’s time for some clearing techniques.

If you’re tired, perhaps it’s time for some self-compassion.

If you find yourself in a low vibration around being kind to yourself or being frustrated by others, take a much-needed time out and begin or continue a significant self-care focus.

Fast action activity: Go and take a napWhen you come back, think about ways you can maintain some equanimity.  You might decide to stop saying yes automatically. You might decide to say no more often.  You might decide to choose to do only those things that are meaningful to you.

A common third reaction is a huge source of the problem of the overwhelmed…

 I am all on my own perspective

Believing you are isolated and alone.  You have forgotten your connection with ONENESS.

Engage in an exhilarating activity of swift action: Let us always keep in mind that we are all interconnected as a unified whole.  Shift to a perspective that we, every human, are all connected.

Here are some other ways to cut down that feeling of being overwhelmed in isolation:

  •  See our connection with others
  • Distinguish the fundamental reality from an interpretation.  Often, the interpretation is the source of the isolation! In a full-on perspective of truth, there is comfort (of some sort)
  • Unhook yourself from the future
  • Wait for clarity before making decisions.  It may be you need to bring in other perspectives or wait for the emotional wave to pass.
  • Go for a state of calm in all situations. Calm is a highly resourceful state – one that you can leverage to travel in any direction you choose.
  • Do a little prioritizing and create hierarchies.  It’s amazing how a re-alignment to what is most meaningful will do.

I like to think of “overwhelmed” as an unnecessary state of affairs.  When you choose to lead yourself in a more self-designed and effective way, the overwhelmed feelings become an experience of the past.

Will you ever experience feelings of being overwhelmed again? In these times we are living in? Probably.

Yet, when you have an effective tool-kit for handling being overwhelmed, the second you feel it coming on, you’ll have designed an effective response.

When you start to feel overwhelmed, it’s a chance for you to take charge of your own self-management. Be ready to recognize it right away and take action to address it.

Ask yourself, “What would bring me back to balance?”  “What can I do, right now that would get me above this?”

“What kinds of things help you get back to equanimity and balance?”  Share your thoughts.

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