What to do about OVERWHELM?
"The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely."
– Carl Jung
‘tis the season… for depletion.
Overwhelm is real. It can happen to anyone. And it doesn’t mean something's wrong… or failing… or flawed.
Overwhelm is a sign. Think check engine light. Your nervous system is letting you know that a lot is going on and it’s getting hard to keep up.
If you ignore the warning, you start careening towards burnout. I know this all too well.
About 4 months after being married, I woke up with no gas in the tank, not even fumes to run on, and it really scared me because of my history with depression. Burnout has a lot in common with depression. The nervous system gets stuck in shutdown.
In this week’s podcast, I’ll unpack overwhelm so you can catch it before it becomes burnout.
For example, there are 3 markers of overwhelm:
Increased Uncertainty
Sensory Overload
Lack of bottom-up, body-based practices to recalibrate consistently.
To counter overwhelm, be honest about where you're at (hard), and counter with:
Increasing certainty. (I do this by less choices, more commitments)
Softening your senses. (Walking outside is wonderful for this)
Bottom-up, body-based practices. (some that “match” the energy and others to contrast)
Get the fully story here: Overwhelm Isn't Weakness. It's Wisdom in Disguise.
May your practice be accepting,
Alison
PS: Do you beat yourself up about overwhelm? I do. Which is like rubbing salt in the wound. If you know someone who does this, would you please forward to them?
