TRANSCRIPT

Why does everything feel like too much? This is the first in the series that I call overwhelm. Why does everything feel like too much when everyone else seems to be managing just fine? You know those days when you’ve got like 10 things that need your attention, and you don’t know which one to start with. So instead of doing one of them, you do none.

And then comes that really helpful voice in your head that says to you, “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just get on with it? Sure, there’s lots of tools out there to help you organize and prioritize, but what if overwhelm isn’t simply about how much you have to do? What if it’s also about what’s happening inside you while you’re trying to do it? Pressure, expectations, Overthinking, the need to get everything right, the things you said yes to when you really wanted to say no.

Then suddenly those 10 things feel like 100. Instead of trying to fix overwhelm in a scrambled state, I want you to do something for yourself first. I want you to get curious about it. Overwhelm. When everything feels like it’s too much, what happens to you? What is your instant reaction? Do you freeze, get irritated, procrastinate, reach for comfort, push even harder? I am curious about your reaction.

So let’s take a look at what’s happening inside you. If it is safe to do so, gently close your eyes for a moment and take three full breaths in and out. And with every exhale, feel yourself relax even deeper. Now think of a time when you felt overwhelmed. See yourself now as if on a video. Where are you? What’s happening? Who else was there? What do you see? What do you hear? How are you feeling? Do you feel any sensations in your body? Just become aware of where you feel them in your body. What thoughts might you have? Notice that immediate reaction. All right, that’s good. Okay, now that you have awareness of your reaction, it’s time to turn the video off now and take a deep breath in. Open your eyes now as you exhale, being aware of the reaction and releasing all the feelings and emotions that related to that reaction, detaching all the feelings you used to feel related to the reaction, and come back into the room now.

You are aware of the reaction as an event, something that happened, and at the same time feeling no emotions around it now, feeling calm as you feel fully awake and fully present back in the room.

Now I’d like you to share the reaction you noticed on a poll, click the link and just answer the question on the poll. When overwhelm hit, what was your default reaction? Did you freeze? Did you get irritated? Did you want to avoid or procrastinate or allow distraction to stop you from moving forward? Did you reach for comfort or push even harder, or maybe you felt something else? Don’t think about it. Just put your first thought.

Link to poll:  https://bit.ly/4yeeDTX

That’s right. Here’s the thing about overwhelm: two people can have exactly the same amount to do, and experience it completely differently. So maybe overwhelm isn’t only about how much is on your plate. Maybe it’s more about what’s going on inside.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to continue this series on overwhelm, and now that you recognize what your default reaction has been, and by the end of the series, you’ll understand more about the science behind overwhelm and discover what you can do to reclaim your calm, so you can transform a reactive, dysregulated nervous system into a responsive, regulated one.

Thanks for joining me today.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a like and a share, as it really helps me out. And feel free to share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. See you again soon.