I’m struggling to catch a breath as the power of the crashing waves hold me pinned down on the sandy bed. My muscles have stiffened and I am paralysed as I protest in an attempt resist their relentless flow. Gulping the salty water, my nostrils sting, , I am sure to be sick.. thick coated, cold Panic floods through me,. In that moment all moments were suspended as I realised I’m not gonna make it home…
Yep that was real life overwhelm, I was on a beach in Sri Lanka many moons ago. I was young I had no fear and the fact that there was a storm brewing didn’t put me off taking my chances in waves which almost doubled my height…
In those suspended moments, my body relaxed. I was neither there or not there, I became acutely aware of this powerful sea. My panic turned to awe. It was a rare moment of really being in the now, nothing else existed. My thoughts were not of what was to come or telling myself of my suffering?. I yielded and allowed the sea to spin me like I was part of it.
The force of the waves actually pushed me back to the shore. My body was so weak that I had to crawl with my last strands of strength to make sure I was clear of the water. I remember my body trembling uncontrollably because of what it had endured. Inside I was trembling because I had never felt so alive.
Overwhelm is a common place for self employed therapist to find themselves.
and why wouldn’t it be? as entrepreneurs we are born to take chances. And if you can’t count a handful of OMG moments then maybe you need to start creating them? When overwhelm hits it peak, surrender is inevitable, my surrender perhaps saved my life. I don’t think I would last very long if everyday was to be filled with such adrenaline so maybe there is another way for the everyday?
Five steps to managing overwhelm
1. Breath
It’s ok that you feel overwhelmed, we have all been there and we will be again. What we resist persists. Stop for a moment and draw in a long slow breathe for the count of four, pause and exhale gently to the count of six and repeat. Allow your attention to follow the air as it moves in and out of your body. bring your attention to each of the sensations in your body, they all have something to say you know.
2. Time out
Overwhelm is your least productive state, so taking an hour out will actually increase your productivity. Don’t use this time to escape, I want you to bring your attention inside. be the observer of your thoughts.. are you telling yourself it’s over- your not gonna make it home? Create a list of all the things you are telling yourself. “One thought leads to heaven, one thought leads to hell.” ~ Buddha Identify if each though is accurate, helpful or unhelpful. What else could be true instead?
3. Separate
Overwhelm often occurs when we are trying to focus on too many things at once. Separate your tasks or concerns into projects.. Break each project down into a series of steps. Assign a time, an adequate amount of time to each one.
4. Stop Multi-tasking
It was a swiss, this doesn’t make you more efficient. The time it takes for the brain to switch its attention back and forth between tasks is all wasted, and you never achieve that deep place of focus where flow resides.
5. Allow your self to be consumed with the right now
The only thing that need your focus, is that one step in that project plan. This is the most free that you can feel, it is the opposite of overwhelm. Celebrate your success each step of the way, you are already enough, everything is already enough.
