Overwhelmed? How To Take A Break
Panic. You know that feeling of mounting overwhelm? When too much is on your plate, is your tendency to panic? Is your go-to response to believe that you are all alone? Do you forget about those eager to lend a helping hand? Too often, when we need help the most, our panic spirals out of control.
We Turn Away Outside Help
Often, we allow panic to drive our lives into isolation. We decide we’re strong. We don’t need anyone else’s help. Instead, we roll up our sleeves and go it alone. Maybe we secretly want help, but we don’t allow ourselves to take. We end up shutting out the people who want to help to us.
We Keep On Caregiving And Refuse To Do Care-taking
Because we call ourselves generous, and our efforts in caregiving are enormous. Care-taking, however, is another story. “Taking” just sounds self-centered and greedy, while “giving” sounds thoughtful and kind.
We convince ourselves that we shouldn’t take care of anything for ourselves while we eagerly and freely give our time to others.
Adding more and more to our already overcrowded lives, it’s no surprise that panic is a result.
Freeze Your Spiral Of Over-Giving
Instead, in that moment of overwhelm, what if we realized that without taking there can be no giving? That taking help offered by another is also an act of generosity? That life just doesn’t flow if everyone gave and no one took.
Practice Taking
Be curious as to how this shows up in your life by observing how you take a compliment. Does “I love your sneakers” elicit a response from you of self-depreciation – “Oh, these old things?” Or do you reciprocate – “They’re nothing special. But I looooove your dress!” Or maybe you deflect it entirely – “Nonsense, they’re just sneakers.” Do you ever just take the compliment and simply say “thank you”? Try it. See how it feels to take care of yourself by letting others contribute to you. People who feel healed want to heal others. Let them.
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