How many times have you started a project or wanted to achieve something in your life only to become overwhelmed with too many tasks at hand to get to the light at the end of the tunnel? When this happens, you don’t need pressure, fixing or excessive advice – what you need is grounding, safety, clarity, compassionate support and most importantly self-care. It is important to know that you have a sensitive nervous system. (An important note: In these moments, be conscious that your nervous system needs regulating so you can maintain the flow at which you function.) You have been affected by other’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions throughout your life. Somewhere along the line since childhood, you have received messages in your subconscious mind that told you, you were not good enough or the things you were doing were not good enough or the worst of all, you felt you were not loved. This was learned programming and you can reprogram that inner dialogue. You developed certain skills that put you in fear-based thinking for survival. It is time to move into a safety mode. A place where you can go in your mind to know that you are Good Enough and all your gifts you bring into this world are and have always been, Good Enough.
The energy of getting overwhelmed happens when the mind, emotions, body and responsibilities exceed a person’s current emotional or energetic capacity. What is needed in these moments is help to return from chaos into an energetic move that leads you in a different guided direction. Let’s move into some effective ways to support you in this process of receiving an energetic shift so you can move onward and upward.
SLOW DOWN:
Know that you are mentally spinning in survival mode.
Instead of Self-Sabotaging Inner Dialogue As:
- Just Calm Down
- You’re Overthinking
- It’s not that bad
Self-Empowering Thoughts:
- Breathe
- One Thing at a Time
- You Don’t Have to Solve Everything Right Now
- Let’s Simplify Things
REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE MOMENT:
Overwhelmed makes everything feel equally urgent.
Help is on the Way:
- Identify the immediate priorities
- Separate the challenges from the imagined fears
- Focus only on the next step instead of looking at the task as a whole
An Example:
- Not: How will I fix my whole life?
- Instead: What is the next healthy thing I can do today that moves me into my flow?
Small actions restore power to life’s challenges.
LISTEN WITHOUT IMMEDIATELY THINKING I AM BROKEN:
Is it possible that at this moment you do not need the solution when you are feeling overwhelmed.
Just What You Need:
- You Need to Feel Heard
- You Need to Feel Emotionally Safe Especially if you Feel Yourself Falling into Old Patterns
- You Need Someone to Listen Without Judgement
Healing arrives when you are falling apart without being rejected. With love and compassion in these moments it reduces the internal pressure which means pressure from others as well as pressure we put on ourselves.
RECONNECT TO THE BODY:
Being overwhelmed disconnects you from your body. You are needing physical grounding.
Simple Things That Help:
- Deep Breathing
- Drinking Spring Water
- Step Barefoot Outside
- Sunlight
- Walking
- Rest
- Nourishing Plant Foods
- Stretching
Your sensitive nervous system cannot heal with constant stress activation. Remember, if you are not passionate about what you are doing in your job, home-life, friendships, or family then it requires you to go within and access what needs to be healed, changed, or shifted.
ORGANIZE MENTAL CHAOS:
Being overwhelmed means that there are too many loops that are open and not completed.
Clarity Can Help:
- Write Everything Down
- Journal
- Prioritize Tasks
- Create Categories
- Ask for Help
- Delegate
- Remove Unnecessary Obligations
- Simplify Expectations
Clarity reduces emotional flooding. Sometimes we put unnecessary expectations on ourselves that are just unrealistic and when we do not achieve them, we feel worthless and destroy our self-worth which leads us to feel like a failure. This train of thought is self-defeating.
NORMALIZE REST WITHOUT SHAME:
Self-Defeating Thoughts Example:
- If I stop, everything will collapse
- I don’t want to be lazy
Empowering Thoughts Example:
- Rest restores perspective, emotional regulation, and decision-making ability
- I am whole and every day in all ways I am getting better and all is well
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause long enough to recover clarity and perspective.
ENCOURAGE SELF-COMPASSION:
When you are overwhelmed, you are incredibly hard on yourself. This is self-defeating behavior that does not serve you and does not allow you to receive that which is for your highest and best good.
Energy Shift:
- Move from self-attack – to self-understanding
- From perfectionism – to progress
- From pressure – to grace
You are a human being with feelings, emotions, heart, compassion, and not an AI robot.
DEEPER EMOTIONAL CAUSES:
Many times, when we get overwhelmed, it is not just from too much to do.
Deeper Shadows of Overwhelming Thoughts:
- Unresolved Grief
- Fear of Failure
- Trauma
- Chronic Stress
- Burnout
- Lack of Boundaries
- Spiritual Exhaustion
What is visible with being overwhelmed may be the surface symptom of a deeper inner depletion which goes back to feeling not good enough, not loved enough, no one ever telling you they were proud of you, never recognizing your gifts and your talents.
BEING PRESENT, NOT JUST ADVICE:
One of the greatest gifts you can give someone who is overwhelmed is being present. Let them know you are present and are there in the moment to listen, feel, and validate just how far they have come in this life to be here in the moment and on this journey called life. In other words, TLC, (Tender Loving Care). Let them know they do not have to carry this alone. This can go a long way and can soften the nervous system more than trying to intellectually resolve everything all at once.
HELP REBUILD INTERNAL TRUST:
With the frequency of being overwhelmed, it can give a person a feeling of, “I can’t handle life.”
Support:
- Remember you have survived difficult seasons before
- Healing happens gradually
- As time passes and you get stronger and stronger, you will increase the number of tasks you can handle
- Gaining clarity returns the nervous system to a state of being settled
Know that being overwhelmed is temporary, even when it feels as though it is consuming your life.
Spiritually and Emotionally Overwhelmed is Sometimes the Soul’s Signal That:
- Something needs simplifying
- Boundaries Need Strengthening
- Healing Needs attention
- You are Carrying More than you Were Meant to Carry Alone
The goal is not merely to “push through.” The goal is to restore balance, inner safety and sustainable strength. We are all in this world to help each other carry the load of this life. A key element to all of this is communication. Learn to ask for help. This does not show weakness, it shows strength and in the mix of all of this, it allows others to gain beautiful blessings from helping you in these times when life seems to take over and pull us in too many directions.
For Further assistance you may reach me at:www.breathofenergiahealing.com or breathofenergiahealing@gmail.com
