Unfortunately we have become conditioned to a culture where things are expected to be instant: access to information, or entertainment, and even fast food. This means that we often look for a ‘magic wand’ – a pill or procedure that will make us well – but in doing this we are relying on external things to heal us, when the only real and lasting healing comes from within. We can end up giving our power away to doctors, ‘gurus’, or usually associate with this term, but also shopping, exercise and even apparently ‘healthy’ diets) trying to find a way to feel better.
But in fact we are our own expert! When we tune in to how we’re feeling, and observe and listen to our bodies, we can detect the early signs of possible issues and also begin to get a good idea of what kinds of solutions might work for us. Of course there is still a place for doctors and medicine and asking for help, but when we do this from a place of knowledge and understanding of ourselves, it is so much more empowering and effective. It means that we will have a better sense of what we are aiming for, and what questions to ask in order to achieve this.
As I mentioned above, emotions are just there to give us information. They show us whether something is serving us, or not. It is when we don’t listen to them, or bottle them up that we can experience problems. After all, e-motions are just Energy in Motion. We need to allow them to flow and to listen to the insight they bring in order to maintain our balance and wellbeing. For example if you’re feeling an emotion that makes you uncomfortable in some way, explore where this discomfort is coming from and how you could turn this around and ‘lean into’ something that feels better to you, something that makes your heart feel lighter and gives you a sense of greater space and freedom.
So what’s happening when we feel overwhelmed? Basically it’s when we feel that the demands placed on us outweigh the control we have in that situation:
Those demands can be external, such as workload placed on us by our boss, or internal, such as the high expectations that we place on ourselves. When we feel that we have ‘no choice’ or that we have no control in a situation, meaning that our needs go unmet, then we can tip into overwhelm. For example if a mother is taking care of a new baby she can feel under pressure to be a ‘good mother’ and have her child clean and neat at all times. She might be tired due to interrupted sleep but not be able to take a break because her baby needs attention. If she doesn’t feel that she can ask for help, or she has no-one to delegate to, this could easily lead to her becoming overwhelmed.
If, however, she has someone who could watch the baby for a while so that she can take a nap, this will help. Or if she knows that exercise and a change of scene helps her to feel better, and she’s able to take the baby out for a walk to the park, it can help her to regain a sense of perspective and balance.
In Part 3 I’ll explore stress and things we can do to help us deal with it constructively.
(You can read the full article here)