How to holistically heal...overwhelm

When you feel overwhelmed, consider this…

1. HEALING: When you feel overwhelmed, consider this…

2. REVERENCE: The Four Rs in addressing overwhelm or any ongoing persistent symptom or dis-ease (reverence is the deep respect & attention to the things that truly impact healing)

3. EXPLORING: Where am I? How did I get here from there? How do I get there from here? (exploring is the journey into the deeper work, meeting the parts, wounds, and survival strategies that keep us small, stuck, and suffering with persistent symptoms & feelings)

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1. HEALING: When you feel overwhelmed, consider this…

Overwhelm is a feeling or state of being completely overcome or inundated by a significant amount of tasks, responsibilities, emotions, or stimuli. 

It can look and feel like this:

• Feeling constantly tired or fatigued

• Trouble sleeping or experiencing disrupted sleep patterns

• Physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, or stomach aches

• Increased sensitivity to noise, light, or other stimuli

• Changes in appetite or eating habits

• Feeling stressed or anxious

• Feeling irritable or easily frustrated

• Heightened emotional reactivity or mood swings

• Feeling overwhelmed by even small or simple tasks

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Racing thoughts or a busy mind

• Avoiding or procrastinating tasks

• Experiencing difficulty in managing time or prioritising tasks

• Withdrawing socially or isolating oneself

• Feeling a sense of being stuck or unable to move forward

• Feeling a loss of control or inability to cope with demands

• Neglecting self-care or personal responsibilities

• Feeling a sense of helplessness or hopelessness

• Increased reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms (e.g., excessive use of alcohol, food, or other substances)

What can you do in the moment to meet your overwhelm?

1. Pause into presence

   1. Notice the sensations in your body to reconnect with yourself. Feel the material on your skin, perceive the temperature of your body, and place your feet on the ground. Tune into your muscles, noticing if they are tense or soft, and slowly move your attention from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

   2. Reconnect with a safe person, someone whom you trust and who helps you feel regulated.

   3. Use rhythm to self-soothe. By rocking gently from foot to foot, side to side, and front to back, as if you're on a rocker. Take a deep breath in for four counts and exhale for four counts. Place your hand on your heart and affirm that you are safe. Repeat this process as needed.

   4. Orient to here and now 

      5 things you see
      4 things you hear

      3 things you feel

      2 things you smell

      1 thing you taste 

   5. Move by gently wiggling your fingers and toes.

2. Validate

   When you experience stressful feelings, it is important to give them attention and allow them the time to move through your mind and body for resolution. If you do not honour and validate these feelings, they can take hold of you, increasing your stress levels and keeping you in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. Remember, what we resist persists.

3. Protect your energy

   Identify what activities drain your energy and what situations leave you feeling depleted. It's important to guard your energy in certain situations... 

   1. After a long day

   2. During a rough patch

   3. While premenstrual

   4. Feeling unwell or in pain

   5. When you're not ready to receive feedback 

4. Rest

   Overwhelm serves as a reminder to prioritise rest before reaching the point of burnout. In our quest to manage stress, we often resort to heightened efforts, striving for perfection, working long hours, and relying on stimulants such as caffeine and sugar to keep us going. However, in the midst of this perpetual chase, stress takes root within our minds and bodies, manifesting as chronic illnesses, muscular tension, physical deterioration, pain, inflammation, sleep disturbances, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, immune dysregulation, fatigue, and the detrimental effects of substance misuse. Ultimately, our minds and bodies reach a tipping point, responding with shutdown or burnout, which becomes a clear signal that rest is urgently needed. Recognising the importance of rest allows us to prevent further depletion and restore our well-being. By intentionally incorporating restful practices into our lives, such as proper sleep, relaxation techniques, leisure activities, and self-care rituals, we can effectively recharge and replenish ourselves. Rest becomes the vital antidote to overwhelm, nurturing our mental, emotional, and physical health, and providing the necessary foundation for resilience and sustainable well-being. 

Under the Reverence and Exploring sections below, we delve into how to not only acknowledge overwhelm but also address the root causes and influencing factors.

2. REVERENCE: The Four Rs in addressing overwhelm or any ongoing persistent system or dis-ease - the essence of holistic healing

1. Restorative healing

2. Regulated healing

3. Reverent healing

4. Resourceful healing

Restoratively healing involves engaging in practices that replenish and restore your energy, promoting healing and growth in the process. These practices are essential when you find yourself depleted or experiencing a lack of vitality. Without restoring your energy and addressing overwhelm, holistic healing becomes a challenging endeavour. When your energy is depleted, it becomes difficult to access inner resources, act reverently, and regulate your responses effectively.

For example, create three touch points during the day and night: Morning Ritual, End of Work Day Ritual, and Night Ritual. Where can you allocate downtime or rest time? Include replenishment in your day, weekend, month, and year. Book getaways and holidays to ensure you have dedicated time for rejuvenation and relaxation.

Regulated healing refers to achieving a sense of balance within your nervous system. It involves regulating and managing your stress and emotions. When you are regulated, you can respond to challenges and experiences from a restored and resourced state, rather than reacting from a state of dysregulation – fight, flight, and freeze. It's about positioning yourself in a state where you can heal, accessing the rest and digest mode of your nervous system, which acts as a counterbalance to fight and flight.

For example, education plays a key role in unlocking a sense of safety and empowerment within oneself, enabling individuals to make informed decisions and take control of their lives. When we understand how our nervous system works, we can effectively work with it. By being able to sense and identify what is happening within us, we can better navigate our emotions and reactions. Health literacy, which refers to an individual's capacity to obtain, understand, and use health information and services, allows us to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions for our health.

To keep reading - Reverent healing, Resourceful healing and Exploring Where am I? How did I get here from there? How do I get there from here? become a paid subscriber for just $5.00 per month or $60 per year (the price of a very good book!)