Ever hear that phrase, ‘when it rains, it pours’? I’m sure you have at one time or another. And we all know what it means – when one thing happens right after another, and these ‘things’ are usually not good things, although they can be. That’s when overwhelm happens.
Life happens, and things can change dramatically at a moment’s notice, and it can be overwhelming. The not-so-good things can cause a huge amount of stress and anxiety, especially if you don’t have time to recoup from one thing before the next one happens.
Our bodies and minds are pretty resilient; however, we do have limitations. The overwhelm comes into play when we don’t know how to deal with these things. I don’t have all the answers and I’m pretty sure no one else does either. Since everyone is different and their experiences will be different, it stands to reason that how they deal with their situations will also be different. Listed below are some ways to help you cope with overwhelm when life comes at you at the speed of light.
• Remember to breathe – this should go without saying but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated. You need that oxygen to get to your brain cells so you can think clearly to be able to figure out next steps.
• Go to your safe place – as mentioned above, everyone is different and deals with things differently. Some meditate, listen to music, swim laps or have a cup of tea. It’s a means to bring your state of mind back to a place to allow you to deal with things calmly and rationally.
• Sometimes it’s ok to do nothing – if you don’t know what to do right away, don’t worry, when you calm down a little, it will come to you, so for now, just do nothing.
• Talk it out with a trusted family member or friend – just talking through your situation with someone you trust can have a calming effect. It may also give you ideas on how to resolve your issues or your friend may have ideas as well.
• Get your routine back on track – some situations can cause your routine to be thrown out of whack and consequently add additional stress. Getting back into your normal routine can provide a sense of normalcy to reduce some of your stress and overwhelm. You also may find that you need to adjust your routine to fit your new situation.
• Ask for help – there is no shame in asking for help. Some of us have a tendency to take on way too much for any one person to handle. Another words, we are the cause of a lot of our problems. It’s ok to want to help others, but if you have too much to handle and get yourself in over your head, you can end up with health issues and you won’t be of help to anyone else.
