Overwhelm is a catchphrase for women.
It captures the daily grind of working mothers running from drop off to pick up, stay at home moms with laundry piled sky high, single ladies juggling work, relationships, finances. The list goes on and on.
It's easy to say "I'm overwhelmed," with attention being the single most sought-after commodity there are these days. How much of our day goes toward fighting to stay focused on the tasks at hand, especially when said chores are less than desirable.
Rather than using sweeping statements like 'overwhelmed,' try and break down the emotions into more descriptive declarations. Allow yourself to be honest and authentic about your feelings of anger, frustration, or boredom to move through them and heal.
There is a reason that lists of things to do are a popular way to get things done. But for many of us, the tasks never seem to get checked off.
It's hard to have energy for something we don't want to do, and with social media or news or shopping being so accessible, there are plenty of ways to distract ourselves and not get what needs to be completed. Wasting our time and energy on these platforms sucks our drive to complete the tasks. Maybe that isn't what drains you, perhaps for you don't eat properly and use caffeine to get a jolt, but in the end, it leaves you feeling jittery and spaced out, and nothing gets done. The point is. Whatever is getting in the way of your ability to get up and get at what needs to be done must go. Try taking an inventory of the possible culprits that stand in the way of completing your tasks and stop doing them for a week. For example, place your devices on 'Do Not Disturb" and say no to social media between 8am and 2pm. You'd be surprised how much time you suddenly create in your day.
In addition to organizing your day, you can begin to add energy to your daily routine with more breathwork. Your body needs deep cleansing breaths to energize and focus your mind. Mindful breathwork will give you clarity and focus from within, unlike the jolt and crash often associated with caffeine or sugar.
Tip for breathwork:
Come to a comfortable seated position.
Close your eyes.
Seal off your left nostril with your left thumb.
Breath long and deep through the right nostril for 3 minutes. This will clear the noise and let in some room for the silent stirring of your intuition that always knows the right next action.
It's vital to address our sensation of overwhelm before it overtakes our body and leads to disease. For many, increased feelings of overwhelm can lead to severe anxiety, which can go on to affect your day-to-day routine, sleep, energy levels, health, and more.
According to a new public opinion poll released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 62% of Americans feel more anxious than they did in 2020. With past APA polls ranging between 32% and 39% over the last three years.
Some symptoms you may feel while in an anxious state of panic are:
• Avoidance
• Feeling nervous or tense
• Sensation of danger, panic, or doom
• Increased heart rate
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Trouble sleeping
• GI pain
• Chronic worry
Anxiety can affect everyone. As many as 25% of all U.S. adults experience intense anxiety levels at some point in their life. You are not alone. There is a solution, and the solution is you. To soothe the energy field, you must practice methods for self-regulation to relax the nervous system. So, while you can't change the experiences around you, you can change the way the experience affects you.
When you are in a fear state of anxiety, it manifests in the body and mind. Fear is often a protective force and pulls us further away from trusting our connection to a higher source.
When feeling fearful or anxious, getting caught up in all the "what ifs" and the negative thought can become a chronic pattern. Allow your perspective to change as you realize you have a choice between thoughts that cause pain and draw attention inward and back to the present moment. Remember that by coordinating the breath with movement, the mind can be free to let go of overwhelming fearful thoughts. Follow the breath with the body and begin to heal.
