As an ambitious woman, it is easy to slip into feeling overwhelmed. We often overcommit, say yes to more than we should, and up with a plates so full that doesn’t take much for the “peas to roll off.”
It’s a catch-22—we’re inspired go-getters. We often wake up in the middle of the night with our next big idea. We have moments of brilliance in the shower, and often our biggest AH HA’s in yoga class. But what happens when we feel so overwhelmed that we just end up stuck and frustrated.
What is the antidote to such overwhelmed? Balance.
Here are three of my surefire steps to shift from overwhelmed into balance:
1. Step Away: Sometimes when you are thick of an “overwhelm storm”, you need to get out of the rain. This means taking a moment to collect yourself and break away from the task in front of you. Whether it be a WordPress the wrestling match or really feeling the struggle of motherhood, stepping away from the chaos give you some much-needed perspective AND a deep breath.
2. Change the Temperature: Now that you’ve stepped away, use this forward momentum to change the temperature of your mood. This can be something small like yoga breaths or throwing your shoes on to walk the dog. Your escape could be on a larger scale, if you’ve got a website meltdown on your hands, it might be the ideal time for a mani/pedi. The truth is when we take the time to change the temperature of our mood, it is a domino effect on our approach, reaction, or even the outcome.
For example, I had an awesome (NOT awesome) chat with the health insurance company the other day and I was feeling super snappy. I knew that trying to push through just wasn’t going to make it better, so I took a moment to pour a glass of lemon water, grab my latest beach read to lower the temperature of mood.
3. Get in the Driver’s Seat: In order to truly bring balance into your life it is essential to feel empowered. This does not mean a life without stress—we’ve all got our ebb & flow but it means to own the situation around you. Take a moment to identify what went wrong. That, choose to the simple action steps I can take you to put yourself in the driver seat of the situation. The goal isn’t to solve all the worlds problems in one day. The goal is to step out of overwhelmed and into balance by gaining perspective and feeling empowered about your next steps going forward. [Tweet it!]
In the comments below, I would love to hear your best tip for tackling stress:
Are you ready to figure out what’s holding you back? I would love to see how I can help. Click here to speak with my team and find out how you can make a shift in your life.
Great post Bailey!
In winter, a good bad does miracles! And in summer I take my bike, go outside into nature, smell a flower.
In the past I had 3 cats, they were great de-stress helpers, I should get a new one!;-)