IS OVERWHELM INEVITABLE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR?

It's mid-December. There have definitely been times so far this month, when I have felt overwhelmed.

AND...

I’ve had a lot on and like many business owners who are also parents to excited kids, there are quite a few things I’d like to get done before Christmas.

But did you notice I didn’t say I’ve been feeling overwhelmed BECAUSE I have a lot on?

Sure, at times it really seems like my “to-do list” is the cause of feelings of overwhelm.

But then there are other times when I’m feelings peaceful or relaxed or joyful or playful or excited, and then it feels more like a “wish list”, and I trust that what’s truly important will get done when it needs to be done (and that this might not really be that much like what’s on the wish list and that doesn’t even matter).

In the past when feeling overwhelmed I innocently took this as a signal that I needed to sort something out in my life. So in this stressed state I would try to strategise about priorities, write and re-write to-do lists, write things on them that I had already done just for the little adrenaline rush of ticking them off, and wind up feeling really stressed and annoyed when none of this seemed to help much.

I was usually burnt out and irritable by the time Christmas day arrived, and vowing to myself that next year, I’d start getting organised earlier. I just had to get better at it, it was all “on me”.

At the time, I didn’t know that I was caught up in the most prevalent of misunderstandings.

I was trying to change my circumstances so that I could feel better and it just doesn’t work that way. Ever.

This makes for a very different experience of Christmas time, and I am grateful to experience the absolute joy of feeling fully present with my loved ones much more of the time, and perhaps even more importantly, not worrying when I don’t.

If you’re one of many humans struggling with overwhelm this December, rather than jumping into problem solving, I invite you to be kind to yourself, and to be curious. What if the feeling really is nothing to do with the circumstances or the to-do list?

By the way, don’t be fooled by the illustration. I haven’t wrapped anything yet!

#resilience #wellbeing #overwhelm #stress