OVERWHELM
O – out of control
V – very, very busy
E – everything is due at once
R – really, the number of piles is appalling
W – what is it going to take to get me out of this mess?
H – how do I begin to prioritize?
E – eventually I know I’ll get back on track
L – lucky for me I have the spiritual practice to ride this out
M – meanwhile, the energies swirl about me as I move into the flow.
Are you in transition? Dealing with change? Are you looking for a new job or identity? Are you getting your business off the ground? Are you anticipating or experiencing a major life transition such as illness, unemployment, death of love one, or just the inevitable process of coping with ever shifting priorities?
We all get overwhelmed by change and the fast pace of life. Try some of the tips and links below and let me know what works for you.
O – out of Control
Does the change you are experiencing get you down sometime? Do you feel as if the days are just flying by and you barely get anything done? When my relation to time and space begins to feel out of control, I need to begin to focus my energies. My favorite technique for settling the disparate parts of my brain causing the overwhelm is “hookups” from Brain Gym Exercises. http://sspw.dpi.wi.gov/files/sspw/pdf/sascevanshandouts.pdf. It’s a winner and so easy to do.
V – very, very busy
It’s always interesting to me when the calendar isn’t full and I’m going through one of these phases. Hopefully I can step back and look at what is creating the feeling of overwhelm and I realize I am in the seed planting stage of business development. I am making new connections, finding new partners, connecting with previous material that still feels alive. It’s creative and chaotic. If I can see it that way, the business seems to slow down… a bit.
E – everything is due at once
First of the month, there’s always billing for which we are grateful. And the report due on the last minute client a few weeks ago needs some follow-up. The challenge of being self employed is that we do need to create dates for completion or suffer the consequences. For me, it’s a harsh critic that needs to both be tamed and silenced with firm action. I can and will create some self imposed deadlines and ask my mentor to hold me accountable.
R – really, the number of piles is appalling
It’s as if the internal disorder I feel has to somehow be matched in the outer world. There are piles everywhere and I never can find what I’m looking for. I even lose things I had just a moment ago. In this case, I was lucky, in that I had to clean up for a weekly group of workshop attendees in my home. I got it done, but there was so much systematic thinking going on of where to put what, and because I do it in my very random right brain style I end up with even more chaos. Again the “hook-up” is the key to re-balancing.
W – what is it going to take to get me out of this mess?
I know that my goal is to go with the flow, and not experience the overwhelm I find paralyzing. But I feel I needed to get into the blocked energy in order to clear it up. This is the level that works best for me spiritually to get back in the groove. I needed to identify the block, the barrier, the challenge. Too many decisions, too many projects, too much stress. And you are the one to make order of chaos. Through prayer, through meditation, through sharing, through forgetting it for awhile. Hire a coach? Trade with a friend? What do you do?
H – how do I begin to prioritize?
I’ve taken all the time management courses and coached thousands of clients on this critical career development issue. Projects can be organized according to due dates – with enough last minute time to prepare. Or they can be organized according to high, medium or low importance. That assignation is not always easy, because action lists need to be based on your overall goals. So do some simple goal setting to define your priorities. Try my Goal setting by Life categories to get a handle on your responsibilities and wishes.
https://www.lifeworktransitions.com/exercises/goal-setting/
E – eventually I know I’ll get back on track
Even though I have a spiritual routine I practice daily, when these feelings appear, my self esteem can plummet. Do you know what I mean? How can I possibly do more, when I’m already, you got it “overwhelmed?” So I turn more deeply to spiritual reading for inspiration. This morning it was an old familiar new thought leader Eric Butterworth, writing about the “prospering principle” prospering in Latin means to move forward hopefully. In order to do that I must silence my anxious heart and trust in the higher powers that be to move me forward.
L – lucky for me I have the spiritual practice to ride this out
Including inspirational resources into my daily practice needs to become a priority. I will ask for and receive energy from practitioners of the arts, acupuncture, Johrei healing and spending time talking with friends. I will shift my attitude to one of gratitude and expansion following the laws of Abundance and expansion. Perhaps that sense of abundance is the creative chaotic phase of a new beginning. The Runes, the Medicine Women Cards, the I Ching all of which I consult regularly say that this is the case. I can only trust in their judgment and good will.
M – meanwhile, the energies swirl about me as I move into the flow.
In summary, this piece honestly was written in just 45 minutes. This was the 2nd morning in a row I woke with that heavy burdensome feeling. I was bound to make some in-roads. Last night I had received the acronym of “overwhelm” and even went so far in my mind to create a corresponding phrase. But I didn’t write it down at the time. And still the gods did their work. This morning, when I finished my meditation, and realizing how the creative flow, and spirit at work are one and the same, voila, this is what occurred. How long has it been since you’ve done your creative work? Don’t get so caught up in the doing of the endless details that you forget what feeds you and thus others.
I hope this has been helpful. Let me know what works for you>
