Overwhelmed?

I seem to hear this a lot these days. “I’m overwhelmed.”

It’s a powerful word. According to the dictionary, overwhelm means to “drown or bury under a huge mass.”  Wikipedia goes even ever further:  “to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy; crush.”  A softer meaning, “to give a person too much of something.”

Either way, it’s a common experience. I visit the land of Overwhelm myself too often for my taste.

It got me wondering. Is it literally because there is exponentially more stuff in life these days?  Certainly there is more information, and way more options.  More demands for our attention. Juggling between our work, our families, and our personal needs. Trying to please everyone and saying Yes to far too many things. Having unrealistic expectations of what we should be able to achieve. Trying to be perfect.

No wonder we are overwhelmed.

So, what’s a person to do?

Well, as always, my first response is to take a deep breath. Or several.

When everything I need to do is swirling around in my head and I start to feel like I am drowning under it, I step away. Literally pull away from my desk. Get up and go into a different room. Or step outside into the sunshine. Get a fresh perspective. Close my eyes and take those deep breaths.

Then I ask myself, “What is most important to me right now?” And I wait for the answer - kind of like watching something rise from the bottom of a pool… allowing the answer to float up.  It’s often not what I expected.

Maybe it’s even to drop it all and go take a walk. Or shift gears completely.

Another helpful question I like to ask myself when feeling overwhelmed is, “Why am I doing this?”  Not just settling for the first answer that pops in my head, but going deeper and deeper until I get to the core of it. Getting in touch with my Why helps me connect with my real reasons for doing what I am doing.

Sometimes the answer helps me realize that what I am doing is really not serving my deepest aspirations, and allows me to let go of something I had committed to for the wrong reasons, or for reasons that were right at the time but no longer make sense.

Other times, the answer might reconnect me with my true passion and purpose, and help me to renew my focus and clarity.

So next time you find yourself in the land of Overwhelm, dearest reader, reach for this little 7-step ticket out of there:

1. Physically step away from where you are.
2. Take a few deep breaths.
3. Ask yourself “What is most important to me right now?”  
4. Ask yourself  “Why am I doing this?”
5. Wait for the answers to come to you.
6. Proceed accordingly.
7. Welcome back home to the Land of Peace.