This week I’ve been hearing myself and many others describe their feelings of overwhelm.
“I can’t get it all done.”
“There’s not enough time.”
“There’s too much to do.”
And my favourite, “I’ve got a To Do List as long as a toilet roll”.
It’s time to reveal the truth about overwhelm. Overwhelm is a state of mind.
It describes how we are allowing ourselves to feel.
Thanks to David Bayer, I discovered the unintelligent thinking around overwhelm.
When we’re feeling overwhelmed, we are in what Bayer calls, the “Primal State” where we experience stress, anxiety, indecision and procrastination.
Think about it. When was the last time you felt overwhelmed and in that state, how productive or creative were you?
So how do we get out of overwhelm?
Firstly, by recognising that it is a state of mind and that we can easily change our state.
The number of tasks on your list and the available time isn’t going to change until you change your state of mind.
My best mantra when I find myself in this state is to quote Bayer, “What’s really true is that which didn’t get done yesterday, didn’t need to get done and how do I know that, because it didn’t get done.”
If you take notice, you’ll find the things you need to get done, do get done. In my experience, I somehow find the time or reprioritise if it absolutely has to be done. I expect you are the same.
So let’s drop this word from our vocabulary.
Let’s take charge of our state of mind.
Let’s reconnect with that state of being where we are creative problem solvers and open to allowing the universe to correspond with us.
Take action on the things that must be done.
Choose to live in ease and flow. Relax. You’ll be far more productive. You don’t have to get it all done today. You can still succeed.
Overwhelm is a state of mind.
Trust that if you stay committed to action, while living in what Bayer calls the “Powerful State” (of rest, relaxation and ease), everything you desire will come to you in due time.
Let go of overwhelm. It’s just a state of mind.
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