Kick Overwhelm To The Curb By Taking A Breather

We lead busy lives and some days it feels like things are starting to spiral out of control and with the Stay Home guidelines, many women are feeling overwhelmed even more.

When we’re working a regular 9 to 5, there’s just too much to do and not enough hours in the day to get it all done. We're often reminded that we have the same 24/7 that Einstein, da Vinci, Mother Theresa, and other greats had and it's how we use that time to accomplish our goals. As it turns out, we decide on the activities we choose with our time, but we get overwhelmed when we don't choose and do the activities that will help us accomplish our goals.

With 95% of the country staying home, I’ve heard from some women that they have found time, but it’s filled with overwhelm instead of action.

This type of overwhelm can be paralyzing and it creates a lot of stress. That, in turn, takes a toll on your health and well-being. And truth be told, feeling completely overwhelmed doesn’t exactly help your productivity either.

Thankfully there’s a simple thing you can do to kick overwhelm to the curb so you can get to work.

 All it takes is slowing down and taking a breather, quite literally. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, the first thing you need to do is calm down and breathing exercises are the perfect way to accomplish that. Sit or stand comfortably, or lay down on the bed. Close your eyes and take long, slow breaths. Focus your mind on breathing in and out. If you like, you can time your breaths by breathing in through your nose for 4 counts, holding your breath for 3 counts, then slowly breathing out through your mouth for a count of 6. Continue for a few minutes until you start to feel your heart rate slow down and your blood pressure drop.

 It only takes a few minutes and after you’ve practiced these breathing exercises for a while you can tune out and focus on your breath even in the craziest and most stressful situations. Not only do they calm you down, they are also great at clearing your head.

Instead of running around in circles with no idea where to turn next, this simple little exercise allows you to stop and reset. When you’re done with your breathing exercise, think about what you want to tackle and in what order. A plan will emerge from the chaos and once you know what steps you need to take next to make progress, you stop being overwhelmed and go into productive mode. Before you know it, you’ll have made it through this challenging day or project.

 Anytime you find yourself overwhelmed again, or you start to stress about work, family, or life in general, stop and go back to your breathing exercises. Before long taking a breather will become a daily habit and a tool you reach for whenever you feel overwhelmed and stressed out. That’s good practice. Not only will it help you get more done while keeping your sanity, lowering your stress with breathing exercises will also improve your health and protect your heart.

Getting control of our time is essential to moving on and forward, and increasingly, studies have shown that multitasking causes doesn't help...it actually causes overwhelm!

So make a commitment to try the breathing exercises I've described to find clarity and get centered. By taking a step back, getting focused, and managing your time, you will kick overwhelm to the curb.

Until next time...

Cheers!

Lisa

P.S. You may be interested in learning more about the benefits of learning strategies to cope with overwhelm...because of the overwhelm, frustration, and anxiety women are experiencing during this pandemic, I’ve opened 6 additional coaching slots in my private 1:1 coaching programs. If you’d like more information, message or email me at [email protected]