Overwhelm

I know you feel it. I feel it too. There is just so much going on. Work stuff, life stuff, world stuff- with all the deadlines, doctor appointments, or maintenance to get to around the house, it can be a lot. Sometimes we get to a place where we feel like we are chasing our tails. Round and round we go….flitting from one thing to the next, never feeling like we got the “thing” done, or we did get the thing done, but not as thoroughly as we would have liked. We beat ourselves up thinking that we could have done better if we had more time, more resources, or simply more.breathing.room.

I’ve been feeling this a lot lately and I wanted to share how I am using Feng Shui principles and techniques to help to dissipate the overwhelm.

From a Feng Shui perspective, Overwhelm can be too much Water Energy, based on the philosophy of the Feng Shui Five Elements. (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal) As the Water Element signifies the start of a cycle, this is where your seeds of genius are germinating. So.many.dang.ideas! So.much.work.to.do! It’s as if you have too many ideas to pursuit or things you want to do/get done, that you simply don’t know where to start. You are frozen, deer-in-the-headlights, don’t know what to do ; you may doubt yourself in your abilities, feel that you are not good enough, smart enough or- why bother….it’s too much to think about (analysis paralysis).

So, where the heck do you start?

#1- Breathe. Just breathe.

Take a step back from your task, desk/work. Bonus points if you can get outside or in a bit of nature or near some fresh air. Standing in place, put one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. (doesn’t matter what hand goes where, just whatever is natural for you) Now just take a few deep breaths and notice where the rise and fall is of your breath. Is it up in your chest? Or is it coming from your belly? If you said belly- you are correct! This is where we should be breathing from, all.the.time. When we take deep belly breaths, it helps to calm our parasympathetic nervous system, in what is called the “rest and digest” function. If we are breathing from our upper chest, we may be telling our amygdala that we are stressed out and the sympathetic nervous system kicks in to try to protect us, in what is called the “fight or flight” response. In this moment of purposeful, mindful and intentional breathing, it will also help you to become grounded, centered and present with each breath you take. Try this for a couple of minutes, don’t get out the meditation mat just yet. 😊

#2- Notice your environment and what may be the cause of the Overwhelm.

If you are working at your desk, is there too much visual clutter going on? Can you remove any item(s) that is/are not necessary? Let your eyes and mind relax by giving them breathing room. This will keep you focused on the task at hand. Do you have too much digital clutter? This may be in the form of emails/voicemails left unattended, or icons/files stored on your desktop? If so, can you organize them so that you have some open space? Again, think of it as more ‘visual’ breathing room for your eyes and mind. This visual clutter can be the start of stress, which then can manifest as overwhelm. This also goes for countertops, bookcases and any surface that accumulates clutter. Or perhaps your overwhelm is in too many projects that you’ve taken on or have been given. Can you delegate the work, or better yet, set boundaries with your manager? I know from experience that this is the hardest one, however, start small as you begin to set those boundaries. This may be your game-changer.

#3- Clear the clutter. Get organized.

Remove and give “new homes” to the items you are taking away from your desk, countertops, bookcases and various surfaces. NO…don’t stuff them in a drawer! (nice try though 😊) Give them proper homes or recycle them or even better, donate! Maybe as an end of day ritual you can wipe your desk down for a fresh start? Same goes for your countertops. Cherry on Top: Try a room spritz of Lemon Oil or wipe your desk down with something fragrant!

Clear the clutter from your mind by keeping notebooks handy to capture the lists of all the great things you need to get done or wish lists for your next vacation that you so truly deserve! This may help you to also prioritize all the things that need to be done. Or at least a place to doodle and dream. Clearing clutter helps us become more organized; we know where to find ‘the thing’, so we are not causing ourselves undue stress or worse, overwhelm because we know where ‘the thing’ is.

Start small. Just a few minutes a day. Then move onto the bigger projects as time permits.

I hope that this helps you too! The breathing exercise has been super helpful for me, along with meditation, EFT tapping and Cord Cutting, but that is for another day!

Give some of these a try and let me know how it’s going!