10 Ways to Reduce Overwhelm
Posted on November 05, 2020 by Tammy Goen, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Daily practices to reduce stress, anxiety and overwhelm and feel calm and happy again.
If you’ve been on an airplane, you know you have to put on your own oxygen mask before trying to help others. Similarly, it’s absolutely essential that you maintain a regular self-care practice in order to take care of others and your responsibilities, and to reach your goals. You can’t pour from an empty pitcher.
Here are some ways to reduce overwhelm and take care of yourself:
1. Breathe. Shift to slow, deep breaths and focus on the air coming in and going out. Imagine that air being a beautiful golden or white color (or any color which resonates with you), entering your heart center and radiating throughout your body.
2. Meditate or sit mindfully. You don’t have to sit for an hour or even a half hour…focus on 5 minutes if that’s all you think you can manage at first. You don’t have to do this in any specific way, just focus on the breath, notice your thoughts when they arise, encourage them to drift away and refocus on the breath.
3. Exercise. All manner of helpful hormones are released when you exercise and the activity helps to keep you in the present moment.
4. Write. Journal something specific, write in a stream-of-consciousness format with no punctuation, write down all of the good things that happened today, create a story.
5. Be grateful. Identify and write down as many things as you can think of to be grateful for. Add to the list each day if you can. Review it frequently, especially if you receive bad news.
6. Realize impermanence. Remember that everything is temporary. “This too shall pass.”
7. Keep it simple. Pay attention to the little things…what’s working, the beauty around you, a kind word someone said, a happy memory.
8. See the positive. Watch videos that make you smile and laugh. Call someone who always uplifts you. Read about people doing good things. You can find great stories on The Good News Network and Some Good News. Reduce the time spent watching mainstream news.
9. Give. Doing good things and giving, whether of time, finances or skills, releases endorphins and refocuses on the positive. Knowing you’ve made a difference automatically increases your energy and your outlook.
10. Look for the Silver Lining. This may be the most challenging, but everything does have a bright side. You may not be able to recognize it at first, but if you consider it from a place of calm and centeredness, remembering that it’s temporary, then ask yourself what good can come of it, eventually you’ll be able to identify something.
There’s likely never been a better time to develop new ways to reduce overwhelm. There are many tools you can choose. Spending time being in the moment and focusing on what’s good vs what’s not working in so helpful.
