Often when we feel we’re “not enough”, we compensate by overloading ourselves with things to do — working late nights, taking on too many projects, saying YES to every opportunity that comes your way, going out *almost* every night for drinks, saturating our diaries… you get it, the busier the better.
Until at some point our body says: HMMM, NOPE. This is not what I signed up for. I’m gotta figure out how to take a break.
And voilà. You end up with fever in bed.
Because I want us all to skip this unnecessary and extremely unpleasant end, I’m sharing with you my top tips on how to stop overwhelm in its tracks (*Netflix and chill optional*).
When life starts feeling overwhelming these are my go-to’s:
1. SURRENDER: I stop fighting, and wishing whatever is happening WASN’T happening. I stop the complaining, the stress, the freaking out. I take a deep breath, relax, let go of control and accept. Even the shitty parts. Especially the shitty parts.
2. ATTITUDE: I shift my mindset and ask myself: what’s this situation trying to teach me? what part of me is feeling uncomfortable and/or in pain right now? I then make a choice: to see the situation as an opportunity to grow.
3. NOURISH: This one’s easy to miss. But I find that the better I take care of myself, the stronger and more grounded I feel. Facing stressful situations feeling depleted and exhausted will only make them feel worse than they actually are. Baths, fresh food and chats with my girlfriends are my go-to.
4. MEDITATE: Your mind will try to take over. It’ll get obsessed. It’ll relentlessly go over and over through all the details involved. This will lead nowhere and will drive you insane. Instead chose to take some time to quieten the chatter and get clarity. If you’re new to meditation I recommend trying a guided one. You can check mine here.
5. PERSPECTIVE: Ask yourself, in 5 years time will this matter? If tomorrow was my last day on Earth would I choose to spend all my energy worrying about this? This sounds a bit dramatic, but you get the point.
I really hope this helps you, and if you know of anyone struggling with overwhelm do pass it along.
You’ve got this!
