Definition of Overwhelmed: 

Strong feeling of too much to deal with, people or things

Buried or drowned beneath a huge mass

Defeated completely

Give too much of a thing to someone

Feeling overpowered by thoughts, emotions or responsibilities 

Feeling overwhelmed is one of my most frequent emotional experiences. I don’t like it. As soon as I feel it, I want to get away from it. But….as the saying goes “you can run but you cannot hide”.  I have tried “running & hiding” in the past to no avail. As a result,  I’ve learned a more effective way to deal with this frequent visitor, one that allows me to navigate this peacefully. 

I close my eyes & put my hand on my chest (it draws my attention there)

I gently observe the physical feelings of overwhelm

I take a few deep breaths & tell myself what is true:

-I am safe and well

-This is just a feeling in this moment 

-I have had it before

-I know it will pass

These quiet little actions calm me. Then I get on with life. It takes about a minute or less. The not so funny thing is, in hindsight, I created this feeling of overwhelm with my own choices 🙈. I took on too much without thinking about what the result would be. Because I like to focus on increasing the pleasantness in my life, I try & learn from unwanted experiences.  I am getting better at recognizing when it is starting & making different choices. 

How about you? Do you have the tool(s) you need to deal with unpleasant emotions? Just being aware of what you are feeling begins to lessen any uncomfortable feeling because it is the opposite of running & hiding. It is like standing up to a bully. It decreases their power over you.

“You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” – Timber Hawkeye

With love,

Jackie