Mind Full: Taming Overwhelm in Unprecedented Times

by Kayleigh Roberts and Christine Harris

As individuals, as flatmates, as family, as communities, as nations, and as global citizens, we have all been going through unique challenges. Together and apart, we have been experiencing unprecedented, unpredictable times. We are in the process of learning what works best for us. The landscapes of our towns have changed, and the whole world is readjusting to account for Covid 19. Change can be challenging. The pandemic has taken its toll on loved ones and those around us,  but we are evolving rapidly to adapt. Learning and working to tame overwhelm is vital to coping and moving forward.

Let Go of Blame - Focus on what will make your life better. Focus on the best ways to move forward. Accept your feelings, be they frustration, anger, sadness, or grief. These feelings are valid. It’s okay to be upset, but it is not beneficial to wallow or point fingers. Moving forward is of utmost importance for ourselves and the world at large.

Prepare vs React - Try to organize in ways to make your daily routines more intuitive, easy, comfortable, and enjoyable. This may mean making a car pack with gloves, face mask, and hand sanitizer on the ready so you don’t have to run back inside or stress to pack. It may mean building routines around a new way of life.

Building Immunity - Eating, sleeping, exercising, and drinking enough water are important now more than ever. We often overlook sleep. A good night's sleep massively improves our mood, concentration, and experience.

Social Distancing - Following guidelines of social distancing 1.5 meters, minimizing time in public spaces, spending 20 seconds washing hands on a regular basis, and wearing masks if you must come in contact with new people is important, and we need to take these precautions seriously for our Fibro health. Habits like hand washing mantras before food prep, meals, and activities creates mindful enjoyable routines.

Find Sunshine - Search for joy and also literally soak up that free Vitamin D from the sky. Connect to nature even if it’s spending time beside your flat window catching rays of sun.

Build Strength - Exercise and healthy routines keep our bodies moving, energised, and in good spirits.

Discover Yourself - What works? What doesn’t? Can you leave it behind? Investigate the best ways for you to live your life.

Tips to Slow Down and Tame Overwhelm

1.   Gain Self-Awareness - Now presents a unique opportunity to learn more about yourself. Gain insight, understanding, compassion, love, and a deeper sense of acceptance for why you are the way you are. The knowledge of what makes you feel safe, comfortable, and connected with the world is valuable information. You can choose to engage in ways that better your life. Alternatively, knowing what makes you feel vulnerable, afraid, insecure, uncomfortable, and unsafe will help you overcome those situations. Tuning into how your body responds to situations is key to unlocking self-awareness.

2.   Regulate Your Emotions and Reactions - Acquire more tools in your self-help toolbox. Deepen and slow your breathing when you feel overwhelming emotions, in order to relax your body and regain control. There are certain events that shut down our normal thought process and trigger all of us into fight, flight, or freeze reactions, which is perfectly normal. Although we all have unique stories, traumas, challenges, we can all rewrite how we respond by training our Vagus nerve. We can learn better ways to prepare, calm ourselves, and self-care, and in turn, overwrite programmed responses that no longer serve us.

3.   Step Out, Look in for Perspective - It’s easy to get too engrossed in situations to really see what’s going on; sometimes we can’t see the big picture because we are so honed in on the intricate details. Artists step back from their easels and reassess paintings from a different angle. It’s extremely important to walk away from an art project and come back refreshed and renewed. Life mimics art. We can be so involved with family issues that we lose sight of ourselves and what is really going on around us. When you feel overwhelmed and don’t know what to do or say in a situation, it’s a great time to step out of the situation to regain your composure. Sometimes focusing on clenching and relaxing your hands can help you remain composure and slow down your reactions, giving you more time to process. Especially in these times, everyone needs to take some time and space to themselves, away from children, parents, flatmates, friends, and family. This will help both parties grow and be more appreciative of each other’s company.

4.   Step Forward Step Back - We all want to help, but sometimes helping is hurting both ourselves and others. Yes, it is important and feels good to reach out and help. However, It is most important to take care of yourself, check in with yourself, and ask yourself if you have the energy resources to commit first. Self-care is an essential first step to mutual aid. If we do someone else’s job, no matter how small, we can blur the lines of agency and responsibility. If we over do it, we may not have the energy to do our own tasks, get Fibro Fog, or otherwise throw living dynamics off balance. If we can all take pride in our specific jobs like doing our own dishes, it enables the house to run smoothly. When we overextend ourselves or put ourselves out, it is easy to feel hurt, resentful, unappreciated, and overwhelmed. Instead, doing the best you can with your responsibilities is usually the best way to benefit those around you.

5.   Connect with Your Body and Expand Your Awareness - Being connected with your body enables you to form stronger relations with the world around you; your self-awareness will extend into other areas. Form meaningful connections with friends, lovers, family, colleagues, and supporters. Connect with people in mutually beneficial ways. Work on projects, engage, play, dance, exercise, sing, learn, educate, and create together. Find out what makes you feel comfortable, safe, and healthy in your body so you can expand that feeling to other areas of your life.

6.   Get Connected - Find activities that make you feel alive, active, and engaged with the world. Light exercise practices are great because they involve your mind and body in healthy fun activity while boosting your mood and health.

What makes you tick is valuable information! Find out what makes you feel comfortable, safe, and healthy in your body and in your environment so you can expand that feeling to other areas of your life. Simple changes in your home or habitat can have tremendous positive impacts. It takes time and attention to figure out what works best for you, but it’s worth it to make changes to improve your life.

Build Your Strength

Take the time to write down your typical routine. Does it include new safety measures, exercise, healthy eating, rest, sunshine, pleasure, and adequate sleep? Can you think of small challenges to add to your routine that are easy to commit to every day? What helps you overcome overwhelm? If you notice any areas that you need help, reach out!

Be sure to check out our Next Article on What Drives Connection.

www.ChristineHarrisTherapy.com Let’s connect!