I had this post in my head where I was going to write down all my goals and you good people would make me accountable. However, I instantly became overwhelmed as I sat about what I had to do and the fact that I’m not sure even where to start. The tightness in my chest came and that stuck feeling I get so often surfaced.
As we speak I can see that it’s almost 3 pm, my window of being able to write on a Monday has been taken up with helping out family, getting the holiday house ready, and doing other stuff than what Mondays was actually assigned for. The house is an absolute bomb, as is the yard. From the street, we are slowly starting to look step toe and son and I’m starting to freak out, the neighbours will start talking. Yet the husband has been gone just four days and I’m already starting to lose my crackers imagine week four? SOS signals will be sent out from the over grown grass, mountain of paper work and dust spindles will be rolling out the back door.
I’m overwhelmed not busy.
Now they say that this overwhelmed feeling is an another form of anxiety- naturally. I am all over that and so supposedly there is a flight or fight feeling. I’m feeling neither, but what the hell I am feeling is stuck. I literally start chasing my tail. I start things but can’t finish. That’s how my anxiety works and when I think about it that is my anxiety ‘being overwhelmed’- I just feel like I have shite loads to do and no help which in reality isn’t true I just don’t ask because I am my parents daughter and to this day they are shite teachers in that department.
Being ‘overwhelmed’ happens for lots of reasons we take on to much, we can’t say no, we have exceptional expectations of ourselves, and we have control issues. I will just sit quietly in the corner as I understand I am all of those things. You could add to that we are also overachievers but I think as I kick a dust spindle from my feet that’s highly unlikely for myself but consider it for yourself.
Yet having said all of that I do get stuff done “eventually” because I have learnt ways to work with ‘anxiety’ and ultimately myself.
- Ask for help and accept it when it’s offered. I know to get out of town so simple. For me, it took just thirteen years of being a parent but I have achieved it. Sometimes delegation makes it that simple to overcome {or not depending} on your control issues but that’s another issue that I haven’t worked out just yet.
- On the days where it’s too much take time out. Stop and remove yourself from the situation for a bit calm down and come back. Put your big girl pants on and start again.
- Turn off the TV and stop looking at the internet. The extra noise and lights heighten things. Find something to slow your mind {and heart} down. Colour in, take pleasure in the quiet. Have a shower or bath, personally, I would never be out of the shower so a coffee in silence is my thing. Then I come back with a plan which leads to tip 4.
- Write it down. Work out exactly whats making you stuck and deal with that first. Also, stop multi tasking; its fallacy that it works. You just look ridiculous as the balls start to drop. Which leads to the next piece of inspirational advice.
- Understand it’s not life and death no one is going to die if you don’t get something done. This overwhelmed business is just a feeling that you have complete control over.
So as I sit here in week four completely stoked with myself that I have written my first piece in four weeks I can tell you it works. I am off to deal with the dust balls and in time delegate the children to mow the lawn and pick up their own stuff.
Best of luck,
Deb.
