Not such a pretty picture.
We have been getting torrential rains lately and the lake is in complete overwhelm. The water levels are high, places I am used to walking have barriers with warning signs and trees on the water’s edge have their branches submerged. On the
You may be in overwhelm if:
- you feel like you are drowning in emails, phone messages, meeting requests and other demands
- the path forward which is usually so clear to you is so obscured that you feel lost and confused
- you are crashing against things that normally wouldn’t bother you
- it seems impossible to accomplish what is usually so easy for you to do
Heed the signs:
Put up some barriers to look after yourself and recover. Things that you can do:
- The first step is to notice and accept you are in overwhelm. Don’t worry about it. After all, even the Great Lakes seem to experience overwhelm.
- Resist the temptation to make yourself wrong or judge yourself as not good enough. It will only add to the
overwhelm . - Recognize you may not be able to achieve to the high standards you normally set for yourself. It’s okay. You will return to your former glory. Be compassionate with yourself.
- Let go of perfection. Embrace “that will do”. Remember nobody else knows what you were going to create. When your normal standards are high, your “that will do” is someone else’s “outstanding”.
- Set boundaries for yourself so you don’t continue to overdo things.
- Ask for help. Such a simple thing to do and yet for some reason it can really challenge us.
- Be gentle
on yourself and take steps to really nurture yourself.
If you are in overwhelm:
- pause
- take a deep cleansing breath
- close your eyes
- get quiet
- ask yourself: “what is one thing I can do right now to make my life easier?”
Now I invite you to take that action. If you are feeling overwhelmed, perhaps I can help. Reach out for a chat.
Alison