When Life Overwhelms

I know that life has become exceedingly more difficult in recent times. I have felt it.

 

The cost of everything is overwhelming, the negative things we hear in the news daily is piercing, the pressures of the society we live in is suffocating.

 

I have had to work through the steps of coping with the feelings of overwhelm, both for myself and for my clients. These are just 3 things I’ve discovered:

 

1. Setting clear boundaries can help

I can’t spread myself thin, I need to have a clearly defined mental list of what I will and will not do. For instance, this week I will not buy that thing that will cause my weekly budget to suffer, or I will limit the conversation with someone who feeds my mind with negativity, or I will say no to certain engagements that take up too much time.

 

   2. Stepping away can be healthy

It may seem like retreating or withdrawing but it is really the best way sometimes to reset, reflect and gather my wits before moving forward. It can be a week, a month, however long it needs to be, but I need that time to decompress.

 

   3. A change of scenery is sometimes necessary

It’s not always practical but it can be as simple as taking a different route home from work, or getting out to someplace different on a day off. It clears the mind, helps me to experience something new and even be a little exciting.

 

I can’t control the variables that overwhelm me sometimes but I can be intentional about setting boundaries, stepping away temporarily and trying a change in scenery in order to help me cope through it and bring fresh perspective.