Over the last two years many of us have gone through significant changes. Relationship changes, job changes, changes in who we are that has led to massive personal growth. As a transformation specialist with a focus on working with women entrepreneurs and executives who feel overwhelmed often, it is most often change that brings about feelings of overwhelm.
We’ve certainly been through a lot of change during these times. As chaotic as it may feel, we don’t have to be in overwhelm, even during uncertain times. Out of 300+ women I’ve interviewed over the last two months about feeling overwhelmed 80% say they feel overwhelmed often. 15% say they are never overwhelmed and 5% say they feel overwhelmed all the time.
Feeling overwhelmed is typically caused by fear and worry of a future that doesn’t exist, or for many women saying yes to too many things without having clear boundaries.
So how do you manage overwhelm?
Not just manage it but actually prevent it from happening in the first place.
And yes, that is possible even in uncertain times!
Out of 300+ women I’ve interviewed over the last two months about feeling overwhelmed 80% say they feel overwhelmed often.
Three Ways to Prevent Feeling Overwhelmed During Times of Uncertainty
- Breathe. And often!
Connecting to our breath brings us calm. Breathing controls everything in the body, including the mind and the central nervous system. Conscious breathing relaxes the body and calms the mind. When is the last time you sat and just focused on your breath?
Not forcing or judging your breath but really focusing on inhaling deeply – feeling the oxygen fill you up; and fully exhaling letting go of tension in the body as you exhale. Breath provides our body with vitality, life, and prevents feeling overwhelmed. - Set Clear Boundaries.
Saying yes to too many things without really being clear about boundaries and what you are saying yes to causes overwhelm. When there are too many items on our to do list, and we just keep adding more without feeling like we are accomplishing some of them – we begin to doubt if they will ever get done. Begin asking good questions about the commitments you make, and become more comfortable with saying no. We don’t have to say yes to everything that comes our way. Say yes to what is beneficial for your life path and no thank you to the rest. - Manage your monkey mind.
Our internal dialogue is everything. What we say to ourselves daily creates a positive environment of living or a negative one. So much of the overwhelm we feel is because we allow our mind to race with what if scenarios that never come true – we create stories about situations and then get wrapped up in the made-up story. I teach women to change their inner dialogue with themselves and learn to quiet the mind through meditation, because everything begins as a thought. Once you manage your thoughts, your thoughts won’t manage you.
Just because the world is in chaos, doesn’t mean you have to be. Feeling overwhelmed doesn’t have to be a way of life. While there may be moments in life that are overwhelming, every day we have a choice to choose whether we stay in overwhelm or choose to be at peace within. The problem is, so many of us have become so used to feeling overwhelmed we don’t know what it’s like to sit with the peace and stillness we carry inside.
Choose peace. It’s easier than you think, it’s the story we tell ourselves that makes it hard. If you feel like you’re on a hamster wheel going nowhere, then look at the areas in your life where you can make small changes that will have significant impact. Like connecting to your breath throughout the day or starting your morning with 5-minutes of meditation.
The results are empowerment and freedom to be who you are, living the life you’ve been dreaming about, releasing the feelings of overwhelm!
