Overwhelm

​Felt overwhelmed lately? I have. Sometimes there is just a lot going on that we need to carefully, or anxiously, navigate. Throw into the mix being a parent and life can get a whole lot busier. It doesn't happen so much these days for me because many years of doing busy, overwhelm and burnout got tiring. Mindfulness feels better.
 
Doing a lot from a place of anxiety brings stress for all concerned. When I am in that space I can blame, complain, tire others by waffling on about my stuff and generally freak out those close to me. Self awareness means we can calmly and carefully work busy. It takes presence to do this. We need to come back to our bodies, ground and check in with what we are needing. From that place we are able to drop some jobs, slow down with others, say no and be kind to ourselves.
 
As women in particular, we're good at taking on lots, we can juggle and multi task and keep on doing the stuff. If we are not practising self awareness we will move into overwhelm. This feeling can manifest physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, it can affect our whole being. It can look like anxiety, crying, anger, racing heart beat, tense body, fear, guilt, panic, rushing, loneliness, not enough and on it goes. At it's best it is a great indicator that things need to change.
 
Taking on too much is a classic of mine. I have bursts of creativity, busy myself putting it all out there, realise there's somewhat more work to do than I anticipated, do the work, stress with dead lines, freak out those close to me with my anxious energy, lose my sense of being connected to my body and experience overwhelm. Self care becomes another job on my to do list.
 
Here's some questions to ask yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed.
 
Have I exercised today?
Am I present in my body?
Am I drinking enough water?
Am I breathing deeply?
Do I need to consciously relax my body?
Do I need to empty my head? Make a list. Journal the whole overwhelm vibe in words to download.
Have I taken on too many tasks? Do I need to say no or drop some things?
Am I more worried about what others think than about what I need?
Am I taking care of myself?
 
Wishing you mindfulness when there's lots going on.
 
with light
Dawn