Does Overwhelm have You in a Chokehold?

I suffer from overwhelm.  There, I said it.  I get caught up in the way-too-many options that life has to offer.  You see, I love the journey of personal growth.  I’m constantly looking for that next book to read, that next video to watch or that next course to take.  But, it leads to overwhelm.  It leads to my head spinning in twenty different directions and eventually wigging out altogether and pretty much getting nowhere. Urggh!

Why would you want to read a blog on overwhelm written by someone with overwhelm?  Lol.  Because a) I’m in the trenches and I feel you and b) self-awareness, as always, is the starting point for any transformation.  So, I reckon maybe we could transform together!

What can I do about it?

While I confess to not having all the answers, I have come to the realization that I am using an avoidance tactic.  Does this sound like you?  When you’re so overwhelmed that you end up vacuuming or doing laundry all day just to avoid what really needs to be done?  I am happy to say I have identified my problem!  Hooray!  Now, I need to act on it.

It’s incredible what a bit of self reflection can do.  Take a moment to think about all your ‘busyness’.  All the things that keep you on the go.  Then ask yourself if it’s all as urgent as you make out that it is.  Or, is it just maybe a distraction from what you really need to be focusing on to be able to move the needle on what’s most important for you.  Does that laundry have to be done now?  Today even?  Does the floor have to be mopped or is there something gnawing at you that is going to shift the way you live your life but you’re too damn scared to do anything about it?  Can you stop and consider for a moment whether maybe you should be doing that instead of the mopping?

Time to Quit those Excuses

When you admit to yourself that you’ve been using distraction tactics and decide it’s time to drop the excuses you can finally get on with life.  You can take the power back and actually get somewhere!  Look at your dreams and your goals for your life.  We tend to see them as mountains to climb.  Mountains with avalanches and cliffs and maybe even wolves.  Scary stuff.

But, with a little bit of honesty we can see that the mountain has far less dangers than we are convincing ourselves of.  The mountain isn’t really even a mountain, it’s just a couple of small hills that look like they’re going to go on forever but once you get started you realize there actually is an end.  Once you get focused on taking each necessary step instead of working up a sweat looking for dangers (or distractions!).

Worst Case Scenario

Let me ask you a question.  What is the worst that can happen if you do a half assed job on a project?  Is it worse than never doing it at all?  I think this is a great perspective tool because we often don’t think so far as to the actual ‘doom and gloom’ outcome that we imagine will happen if we actually show up for ourselves.  We simply ‘feel’ afraid, so we avoid.  What if we tried a different approach?

Let’s imagine a positive outcome.  What if taking your foot off the brake actually (surprise, surprise) accelerates your life?!  What if taking one more step in the right direction actually doesn’t set you back, because realistically how could it?  Even if a project feels scary and there’s a lot riding on it, can’t you see the possibility for growth through the process?  Would you rather be the stone gathering the moss or the rolling stone?  The one that’s going places?

Just Take One Bite

Being overwhelmed is like being the person that wants to eat the whole cake.  Stop being greedy, just take one bite (or one slice)!  You don’t need the whole cake.  In fact, it’s way better for you to only take one bite or slice than to eat the whole damn thing.  It’s more manageable and won’t make you sick (with worry in this case).

The same applies to almost anything.  You know what they say, ‘everything in moderation’.  Choosing one thing to focus all your energy on is a more manageable, less stressful and definitely more productive way of doing things.  So, the next time you feel overwhelm remember to only take one bite!  Choose the most valuable task to focus your attention on and close the tabs on ALL of the others.  Block out time to focus on this one task.  Trust me, when you see the progress you’ve made you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.  And, best of all, your overwhelm will have completely vanished.  Can you prioritize that ONE most important thing today?

Steph x

If you enjoyed this blog, head over and check out this one: Follow Your Heart and You Follow your Purpose

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