Experiencing a sense of overwhelm is a natural human response when we are misaligned with our own truths and values.
Overwhelm is a natural human response, a signal from our body to indicate our need to slow down and lessen our discomfort. If you are in overwhelm at this moment, check out this slowing down meditation HERE
When we absorb too much unnecessary detail of the life we are living (perhaps too many opinions; too much work, too many meetings or no spaces to think or breathe in our calendar) we feel full to the top and our responses are tinged with anxiety. If this is happening to you, make tea, grab this article and settle down to understand and know how change your perception of this experience.
Where are you now?
Tired, mind racing, putting things off, never finding the time to meet friends or socialise? Are you irritable? Do you find it hard to concentrate and absorb information? Are your feelings overwhelmed?
Are you putting things off when you normally organise things well?
Sometime and somewhere our western civilisation established a brain based culture revering power and intellect as the greatest attribute. Which leaves those of us heart based beings either trying to squeeze ourselves into that older patriarchal power model and becoming exhausted as we try to second guess every moment trying to fit in and be who we are not OR we might begin to isolate ourselves from the crushing feeling of the foggy confusion. WE more often experience a sense of self judgement or failure, an inability to concentrate and we criticise our own mental incapacity. We see in ourselves as a series of can't's. We feel utterly lost!
Are you ready to let go?
THE KEY - All thoughts arise within our own consciousness. OURS and only ours.
Therefore, we already have our own answers to a better way of being.
THE TRUTH lies in your willingness to see this. Restoring your natural rhythm and balance is about you committing to YOU! EVERY day not just reading this blog.
· Firstly, be your own responsible adult when it comes to prioritising YOUR needs first, take enough breaks and pauses in your day, rest and sleep for 7-8 hours, manage fresh air daily and eat well. You would not set out on a journey without fuelling up or maintaining your vehicle, so it is with the body.
· If your thoughts are heavy – take a thinking holiday for a few minutes or longer each day.
· Focus on your ways of taking breaks and restoring calm by breathing; a view through a window or of a scene in a room; taking 5 (5 seconds, 5 minutes).
· See your distractions and limit their impact on your concentration – step away for a moment, step into another space, another room, a different chair – or even outside.
THE most important thing is to be aware in this moment in the now. I ask myself this,
“What do you need?”
And now I am asking you! “What do you need right now?”
Be the responsible adult you are and allow yourself to have what you need.
I recently tried this simple scaffolding method on my own overwhelm. It was shared with me during my spiritual MBA training. I found it useful because I am on a grieving journey post the transition of my son and overwhelm can be my middle name. Especially when I have a curve ball in my direction.
I wanted to be able to explore deeply some of the triggers that had me running into the hills, despite my own training and understanding. Thank you to Tara Brach for this scaffolding called The RAIN Method for deepening our self-awareness and achieve a greater state of peace.
THE RAIN METHOD – centring yourself when you feel emotionally reactive (Tara Brach)
R Recognise A ALLOW I Investigate N Nurture Tara Brach
R RECOGNISE When our grounding has been rattled and shaken, we either retreat or overreact and the first stage is to recognise this. We usually feel it in our body. Name those emotions, write them down.
A ALLOW this or these feelings to be there, welcome them in and let them be. DO NOT resist them by hiding them or avoiding them through distractions or self-judgments, or projections onto or blaming others. Welcome all.
I Investigate further with interest and gentleness what is the somatic body message telling you (i.e. not the cognitive mind). Go deeper, put your hand on your heart and breathe in and out. Ask yourself "What do I need to know?"
N Nurture / need What does this overwhelming anxiety most need?
Say also “ Its OK that you are here.” Feel that deep compassion for yourself. Go deeper, breathing rhythmically in and out. Until you see what the underlying fear is that cause you to rock on your feet. That will be a belief that is not true, or a perception based on that outgrown belief. Release it with an out breath and take an action of your choice to help you to move forward. Trust your inner guidance.
Here is a voice recording of the above for YOU to try.
Remember you can never be the source of another’s disapproval, their response is their own. Nor can they be a source of yours. Resistance (fear, worry, anxiety) is the tap root of it all.
Anni x
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