Well, Hello Gorgeous!
It seems to me that more and more since I have been back in Australia I am hearing friends colleagues and business contacts alike crying out "I just have so much to do!" We all seem to be balancing work, family, maybe running a business, keeping a healthy relationship, trying to stay in contact with friends and finding time to take time out for our own health and well-being.
So when I heard myself saying those same words yesterday afternoon, it was time to take some of my own advice and come up with a way to reframe this buys-ness we get caught up in.
I thought back to the pivotal chapter in my soon to be released book "The Tall Poppy Project: Live a Delicious Life, By Design" (released September) – the one about taking time to relax every day, and to tap into or own inner wisdom to balance the need to do "stuff" with the equal deep physical spiritual and emotional need to "just be". So this week, I thought it would be wise to come up with my three top tips for Avoiding Overwhelm.
1. Get perspective
Nothing is worse than having them feeling like "you have so much to do", or "I am so far behind", but it also pays to take not of how accurate you are being with yourself. When we keep laying the same old tune of "not enough time", or "not enough resources" we are building up a belief system that is simply no true.
There are countless ways to expand what you can do in the time you have, the most important being to take all unnecessary stuff off your to do list, delegating whatever you can, and asking for help when you need. Another way of gaining perspective is to make sure you take time out away from the constant need to be ticking things off, and really reflect on what exactly should be driving you right now.
Having three month and six month goals in all areas of your life, and consciously moving towards what you want to invite into your reality keep you grounded to you vision of where you would like to head. It also proves to be a great comparison point to ask yourself this question: "Am I moving closer to my vision, or further away from my vision" – use this question as a filter for every decision, conversation, and most importantly how you speak to yourself between your two ears.
3. Get out of your own way.
If all else fails, get up and move your tush – changing your mental state and feeling of overwhelm CAN be as simple as going for a 20 minutes walk, or even just busting out some dance moves to a bit of your favorite music. Get out of your own way, do something opposite to what is overwhelming you for 15 minutes. And if you go through periods of overwhelm and its a continuing cycle, change your approach. You wont be getting a different result if you keep trying to the same thing over and over.
My beautiful hubby is the perfect foil when I hit the proverbial wall of believing I don't have enough time. He is always calm and even tempered and in his own quiet way he reminds me that you can only do what you can do in the time you have. It is so true.
So next time you feel overwhelmed, how about bouncing the contents of your to do list off someone you love and respect who can more than likely give you a much more objective perspective. Being realistic with what can be achieved in one day is also super important. Making a list of three things to achieve in one day is both realistic and do-able and ensures you have the satisfaction of completing some important tasks without feeling snowed under.
3. Get a coach
Particularly when it comes to belief systems and feeling frustrated because your life does not look and feel how you would lie it to, hiring a coach is often an excellent investment in yourself. Just think how much time, energy, and metal stress you could save if you had personal cheer squad to help you sort through where you would like to go.
Not only do we all need a cheer squad, let's face it, we all need a kick up the pants sometimes to keep us accountable. There is nothing so sweet as a conversation with a professional business, life or health coach where their outside skill and life experience provides you with just the little nugget of gold that you needed to shift from where you are to where you want to be.
Remember working around the clock and sacrificing your own health and happiness on the altar of productivity is NOT sustainable. You are here on this Earth to stake a claim on your birthright to feel expanded and energised. If you are not feeling like that, maybe just maybe that's a little signpost that something is not quite right.
So instead of drowning in the feeling of overwhelm, turn your focus onto feeling what needs to change, and give yourself permission to find another way, a way that feels full of easy and flow.
Here's to your delicious life
Kylie x
