Take a Breath & Other Tips for When You're Overwhelmed

Hello, hello! We are already halfway through July and I haven’t posted much yet. I was in New York for a family birthday celebration (and some sight-seeing!) the first week of the month and last week I dealt with allergies of death. But this post has been on my mind since I was in New York and I wanted to make sure I get it up soon. It’s advice that I give others periodically. It’s advice that I try to remember to give myself. And it’s definitely advice I was giving myself last week when I was overwhelmed with returning from vacay, needing to get work done, and questioning whether or not I really wanted to try and survive the allergies of death because they were not. fun. What’s that advice?

Take a breath.

The week before I left a friend and I had plans to meet for tea on Friday. When I checked in on Thursday to see if we were still on and schedule a time, she said yes but wanted to wait to time it because she had a few other things to fit into her day, too.

Throughout the day on Friday, we kept texting because she didn’t want to cancel (it had been a while since we got together), but things weren’t going well. As we talked and I told her we could reschedule if needed I could imagine what she felt.

I’ve been there. There are things that havetobedonerightnow and nothing is going right and you’re overwhelmed and your heart starts to race and you start thinking in frantic run-on sentences and…

You need to take a moment and take a breath.

It feels counterintuitive, doesn’t it, to stop for a moment? I always want to speed up because it feels like time is running out and if things aren’t going my way I feel the clock ticking.

But when I actually remember to stop for a few minutes and breathe, I can let go of the anxiety and urgency that fills my body. I can respond to the issues that come up without feeling like everything is out of control. And I think I respond better and more efficiently.

All because I take a minute to breathe.

I sent my friend a message and said, “Stop for a minute and breathe. Sometimes that helps me.” And when she replied she thanked me and said it helped. When we met up later that afternoon, she said the same thing.

Do I stop to take that breath often?

😂😂😂

No.

It’s something I wish I’d remember more. It’s something I’ve worked on a lot this year.

A few other things I try to do when I feel overwhelmed:

>> Move. I find that even taking just a few minutes to walk around a room can help me calm down. I take that time to breathe deeply, as well.

>> Change position. When I had my first coaching call at the beginning of the year she asked me a series of questions. Between two of the questions, she had me change position. Now, if I’m overwhelmed or anxious and I dwell on those feelings, I get up and change position. I take that time to breathe deeply. And I find that doing those things puts me in a much better headspace.

The next time you feel overwhelmed try to remember to take a breath. Move and change your position if you can. It might help.