When overwhelm beckons what do you do?
Overwhelm is the state that occurs when we live out of balance. It is what happens when work requires solutions that appear beyond your control.
We seem to pride ourselves on saying we are busy these days. Like it gives us status, worth even.
Are we mistaken? Not wise but foolish? What if all it says is that we are unable to self-care and thus do not care for others?
I can almost hear you shouting, ‘it’s not my fault that work is manic!’. That may be true, but what about when you are not working? Do you manage to be still, to recalibrate? To reset the dials to deal with the mania you face at work?
I know that if you don’t the results can be catastrophic as I am sure you are aware. There is nothing quite like staring into the abyss of overwhelm to sober one up. Surely however, it would be better if we stayed back from the edge and sought a balanced life?
My latest inspiration comes from a book called ‘Rising Strong’ by Brene Brown. She speaks about the stories we write about ourselves, stories often based on insufficient evidence and rooted in wrong beliefs that so often cause us to live lives of less.
We write she says, ‘shitty first drafts’ about certain situations that then hold us captive.
So, what if overwhelm is about that?
- Overwhelm is a misconstrued belief that we must keep on going to be perceived as of value, of worth?
- Busyness is a label, that prevents us from revealing our vulnerabilities?
- What if overwhelm, busyness, keeps us isolated, alone?
- What if overwhelm ensures that you don’t take the time to stare yourself in the face and make change?
One solution is to take that ‘shitty first draft’ of the story you are believing for your situation and take a deeper look.
I was listening to Steven Furtick the other day speaking on how we live in a state of deficit. When we live with certain beliefs it limits us.
What if overwhelm is caused by a belief that we live in deficit?
Many millionaires still believe that they need 25% more income to have all they need!
When will be enough, be enough?
Social media feeds our views of life.
It used to be that we would compare ourselves to the people who live next door, now we compare to the entire world!
Maybe busyness is the anathema that is veiled in pride? We hate it because it keeps us in motion, but still it gives us an identity, a mask, that at all costs we ensure stays in place. What would happen if you dared to be brave and be still?
You never know. You might actually like the man or woman who sits behind the mask.