Your Cure for Overwhelm

(Written on December 8, 2016)

I'll admit it. I feel overwhelmed. And I'm guessing that if you're anything like me, you're probably feeling overwhelmed too.

This is a pretty natural reaction to the holiday season! (Not to mention the upcoming end of the year--YIKES.) But just because we're feeling it doesn't mean we have to stay stuck in this muddy mess. We should fight it, get super organized, and complete everything on the to-do list to make sure we have all the things done and ready and perfect so we don't have to stress no' mo'!

...right?

NOPE. 

I disagree with what I just said. I disagree with it 100%. And here's why:

Every time we force ourselves or push too hard or beat ourselves up over and over for feeling the way we feel and experiencing what we experience, it's a completely moot point. 

It defeats the purpose.

We are here to learn and grow and progress and move forward in this life, I get it! I know we want to be our best selves and complete our goals and be the kindest, loving person we can be. And that's awesome. But guess what?

It's not gonna happen through force. 

When you're feeling overwhelmed, the best thing you can do first, is allow. Allow the feeling, allow the emotion, allow yourself to sit in your shamestorm of "I should've done this, and I didn't do that!" Sounds counterintuitive, I know. But trust me, it really works!

All of us are made up of energy. And depending on what you believe, all of us are made up of different types of energies. These energies are what we allocate to different tasks and purposes, and that includes emotion.

When we're trapped in any kind of energy (especially the guilt one), it becomes a sinkhole. We sink further and further down into this little energy monster who's determined to suck the very life out of us. This happens especially when we resist whatever it is we're experiencing, whether we do that by denying our feelings or telling ourselves we're wrong or filling our head with, "It shouldn't be this way!"

But guess what? You don't have to do that. #freedom

You have the freedom to allow yourself to experience your emotion. You are allowed to give yourself permission to feel or cry out or run out or furiously scribble out your fear and overwhelm and guilt and shame or what have you, and you have the power to release that energy and make room for it to be naturally devoted and allocated somewhere else. Somewhere more constructive, like actually getting things done or being your best self. And it's not force; it's allowing the emotion to move through you and move on. 

This is not popular, I know. This is something that most of society tells us is wrong. It's wrong to be angry, it's wrong to be ashamed, it's wrong to be anything less than perfect, and it's wrong to be pissed off and resentful during the holiday season!

But just because it's "wrong" in the eyes of society doesn't mean it doesn't heal. And it's up to you to determine your truth of what you need. 

In my mind, and in my experience of what I've seen as a life coach, the trick is to allow. By allowing, everything else that's good will naturally happen. This doesn't mean that you'll become a passive little elf who just sits in the corner all day; what it DOES mean is that you can give yourself a freaking break for 5, 10, 30 minutes (or even a whole week!) to experience this thing we call life. When you feel it all come up, when you're feeling that overwhelm, take a deep breath, and allow. You don't need to be anywhere else; you're right where you are. And that's okay.

Overwhelm isn't wrong, my friend. It's part of the process.

Share your thoughts in a comment below!