Simple Ways to Deal with Overwhelm
Sometimes stress comes in the form of this stress scale. But other times what's overwhelming us isn't on the list. The great recession, brexit and an election for instance.
Even still, I do find the list helpful. Every year I see something big on the list pop up in my life.
Some stress is so big that it comes with the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Sometimes privately, sometimes publicly.
I feel like I've been going through several stages in the last 24 hours. Maybe you have too.
When I start feeling overwhelmed, I have to admit, I don't always react in healthy ways.
I often:
Check Facebook and scroll endlesslyType terms into Google and read news article after news articleTry to find cute animal photos or videosFeel like just going back to bedSpiral back to Facebook... you get the idea
Then there are other things I do, which seem to work better in the long run.
In case they are helpful to you, I wanted to share them here.
Some of my healthier reactions have been:
Taking a moment to breatheGiving space to those around me and being gentle with themWriting a thank you email to someone I appreciateGiving a small gift to someone elseBuying something small for myselfBeing vocal about the things I appreciate in my lifeMeditating for one minuteThinking about how I can help othersTelling my partner how much I love herListening to some of my favorite musicFilling the bird feederGiving a close friend a call to just talkWriting down ideas to help those I care about
These are just a couple simple ideas. They won't fix everything or help me eliminate stress from my life, but in a simple way they help me start dealing with overwhelm.
I can feel them helping me today and I hope they can be helpful for you too.
