How do you handle things when they get out of control? Well, I have a few resources that I turn to and hopefully you will be able to get something out of them as well!!
- Turia Pitt- The Overwhelm List
If you are not familiar with Turia Pitt, you should be! She is a runner, a mom, an entrepreneur, and an all around amazing person! In September of 2011, she was running an ultramarathon (I have no idea why people do this!) and she got caught in a brushfire. Things did not turn out very well and she ended up in the hospital with the majority of her body burned. After a few years in the hospital, she was able to leave, with her husband, and start her next chapter of her life; rebuilding. Through this process, she developed a unique way of looking at her struggles and her negative self-talk. Now, I could talk about her all day, but I wont! You can look her up and hear her amazing words for yourself. Here is her website https://www.turiapitt.com/
The reason I put her as number one is because a few years back, she sent out this thing called an “Overwhelm List” in her email newsletter and I have used it and recommended it to people ever since. Here it is for you! Give it a try and see how it works for you.
- Grab a piece of paper and a pen and write down absolutely everything that’s jumping around in your head right now. The jobs you have to do at home, the projects you’re managing at work, the bills you need to pay, the friends you need to visit. Absolutely anything and everything renting space in your head – write it down. Tip: If this task feels overwhelming in itself, just set a timer on your phone for ten minutes. You can make ten minutes to get this done.
- Cross out everything on your list that is outside of your control. Things like wanting your boss to like you more or wanting your mother-in-law to be nice to you – we can’t control stuff like that! So don’t waste any more energy worrying about it.
- Next, cross out all the ‘shoulds’ – the things you think you ‘should’ be doing. I’m not talking about the things you legally should do, like bills or court dates, I’m talking about catching up with that friend who always drains you with her negative gossip, or joining the extra committee at work.
- Look at your list and combine the things that are similar and turn them into one overarching statement. You dont need multiple things telling you the same thing.
- Now, take everything you’ve crossed out and delete those tasks from your mind too! You’ve now taken these off your list. You no longer need to worry about those! The only items left on your list now should be a list of the things you either have to do legally(!), want to do, or are things you actually can do – the things you have control over. Now it’s up to you to prioritize, schedule and start crossing those tasks off your list. You should be left with a much more manageable list that can actually turn into a to-do list!
- Progressive Meditation
In order to do this, take time to focus on each part of your body one after the next until you go through your entire body. Imagine you are a smaller version of you walking up your body from your toes all the way to the top of your head. Notice the movement and small parts of your body that maybe you dont ever think about. Explore the surface with childlike curiosity!
Here is something that I enjoy reading that helps get me into the mindset of change and calm. This following reading is actually from the “Fabulous Daily Routine Planner” App.
“The first step to making any change is identifying it. You are identifying that you have a chronic “fix them” problem. Now that you know it is there, what can you do about it? There is an old French Proverb that says, “To believe a thing is impossible is to make it so.”
Let yourself unwind after a long day. Breathe Deep. Take this moment to check in with yourself. What do you really believe about your capacity for change? Now breathe in again. More deeply than before. As you let your muscles relax, check in again. Bring to mind something you’d like as a part of your daily life. Imagine how you would like to feel in your own body. And ask yourself now, quietly, once more, with no one else listening….Do you really believe it possible?
In this place of stillness, right here, right now, what do you hear yourself saying? Whatever your answer is, stay with that for a moment. Welcome it. Witness it.
Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it.” This principle doesn’t just apply to someone hoping to change the path of a nation like he did. It applies to everything. Even the tiniest habits in your day. If you answered “Yes- I do believe change is possible for me,” then this exploration confirms it. If you answered otherwise, then the question alters. See how it feels to say, “it is not impossible for me.” Breathe in again. Witness your thoughts. Welcome your feelings.
The sheer fact is, you have taken the biggest step already. You committed to yourself with a few taps of your fingertips. You are holding the evidence in your very hands. You may a well see yourself as someone who is capable for change because, in truth, you have already started.
Rumi wrote ” as you start to walk on the way, the way appears”. You found your own path here. Here, you simply take small steps, repeated regularly, over time. There is no race. There is nothing you have to do right now but rest. Let all the knowledge you are gathering sink in as you sleep. Breathe in again, and let your way appear.”
Fabulous App
- Dance! (If you don’t dance, just move around intentionally)
One of the best things to do for yourself when you begin to feel stressed out is to stop what you are doing, pick a good song, and move around. There is actually a science behind this that is based upon the fact that brain development is based upon the concept of rhythm.
Let’s break it down for a moment. When you are in Utero, you are constantly being rocked by your mother unless she is trying to sleep or sit down. When you are born, someone rocks you either in a chair or by holding you or bouncing you when you are upset. Then, when you start to self soothe, it is not uncommon for a child to rock themselves when they are upset. Think about swings and how freeing they are; that is movement and rocking. What about being on a boat or riding a bike? Most things that you can think of that elicit a calming feeling involve rocking or repetitive movement back and forth.
If you were to hook your brain up to an EEG to see brain functioning, you would see the function happening in what looks like sound waves. When you get stressed or upset, your brain waves reflect that. So, when you play music and you connect movement with it, you help the brain waves sync with the music you are listening to and thereby can change how you are feeling. Its pretty cool!
This is one song that I love putting on and dancing like no one is looking!
Well, those are my top three things to do when I start to feel overwhelmed and need to reframe my life at this moment. Hopefully you can use or one all of them! If you are interested in more or have any suggestions of your own, let me know!!
Stay Living!
Ivy