5 Ways to Overcome Overwhelm…
Even though I have studied, written, and taught about stress, sometimes I become overwhelmed.
Sometimes I need to step outside of my mind and look at the battle being fought in there.
It’s about objective thinking. “Where did that thought, feeling, or impulse come from?” The minute you are able to separate yourself from the clutter then you can become free.
Do you ever feel like you are drowning under your responsibilities, worries, and stress, you might be dealing with a bad case of overwhelm? This can be something everyone deals with, but it does affect your mental and physical health, which means you do have to deal with it. There are ways to overcome overwhelm, starting with mindfulness.
You might have heard of mindfulness before, as it has been a hot topic recently. It can sound intimidating but is nothing more than living and thinking in the present and helping your mindset to reflect that. There are many benefits of mindfulness, including helping to reduce stress and overwhelm.
Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice.” – Zig Ziglar Click To TweetWhat is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a hot topic lately. Especially when talking about, mental health, and reducing stress in your life. Mindfulness is wonderful for so many areas of stress, including overwhelm and burnout.
So, what is mindfulness?
It is a state of being more aware of your thoughts and intentions, finding a place of acceptance, and living in the presence.
There is a lot to mindfulness, but this is the basic definition of what being mindful means. You are aware of what is happening right now. Check-in with your emotions. No matter what you are doing you can benefit from being mindful.
Living in the Present
The first part of mindfulness is living in the present, which can help a lot if you to overcome overwhelm and stress in your life. When you get overwhelmed, it can be hard to focus on what is most important. You tend to have so much going on in your brain at all times, that it feels hopeless and like you will never be able to manage it all.
This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness allows you to live in the present, where you are only focused on this very moment. What is important right now? Not in a week or a month or a year. Not worrying about what already has happened. Focus on RIGHT NOW. This can help you to organize your thoughts and find what your priorities are.
Mindful Exercises to Overcome Overwhelm
Mindfulness can be a very simple process, depending on what you need it for and the situation where you are trying to be mindful. The basic technique involves being present, sometimes writing down what you are doing, thinking, and feeling in that moment. For example, if you are trying to be more mindful during your meals, you can get out your journal and record how you feel eating these foods. Are they nourishing you? Do you enjoy them? Are you happy with your choices? This can be a great tool for intuitive eating as well.
There are also some different exercises that can help you with mindfulness if you are new to it or struggling with staying in that present state. Here are some good exercises.
Body scan – The first technique is not only used for mindfulness, but for meditation as well. This is a body scan exercise, where you are going to mentally scan each part of your body, one section at a time. This allows you to be more mindful by focusing on how each part of your body feels in that moment, but it can also get you into a relaxed, meditative state.
Begin at your toes, think about how they feel if there’s any pressure. What object or surface they are touching? Try to take note of how your feet are feeling. Then, let all the tension go. Move up to your lower leg and repeat that process, moving all the way up through your thighs. Then follow up to your midsection, chest, arms, shoulders, neck, and your head.
Breathing – You can also try a breathing exercise with mindfulness. For this, the action of practicing your breathing gets you into a meditative, mindful state. You will be focused your breathing right at this moment, and not worrying too much about the past of the future. Breathing exercises are simple-sit in a quiet space with no interruptions. Inhale deeply, exhale. Each time you inhale and exhale, try to hold it for several seconds and relax your mind and body as you do this.
Try These Simple Techniques
Use Your Senses – The last mindful exercise you can try out is where you will use all five of your senses at this moment. For example, what do you smell? Do you feel anything near you? If you’re eating or drinking, what do you taste? Our senses are powerful. They can take us back to a moment in our life. The smell of chlorine as in a swimming pool. The baking smell can take us back to our childhood. Appreciate your sense of smell, we may find ourselves ignoring it unless we are using it.
Do something new – Doing something new gets us out of our comfort zone. It forces us to become more present. We become more aware of the risks, the environment, and our actions. Try doing something new on a regular basis. It is a simple way to incorporate more mindfulness in your life.
Start a gratitude journal – Gratitude has so many benefits for our mental health and is a great way to become more mindful. Write down three things you are grateful for every day. It will help you to improve your positive thinking and be aware of the impact different things have on your life. Before long, you will be taking note of the things you are grateful for throughout the day.
Take these tools and use them. There is something magical that happens when you take time for yourself. You don’t’ lose in other areas of your life but you will gain. Claim health, peace, and calm. Live your best life when you overcome overwhelm!
I am Shirley Noah, I am passionate about helping you to become more empowered with simple healthy habits that YOU can do TODAY! I love to share insights and empower women and their families to feel and live the best life through plant-based whole food nutrition, essential oils, herbs, natural remedies, easy to follow habits and stress boosting remedies.
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