Let’s face it we can all agree on one thing, 2020 has been a year to remember. We have all been affected in one way or another
I have been reflecting lately on the impact this year has had on my own personal emotional health. I have noticed that there is a lingering feeling of emotional overwhelm. That feeling of being in constant fight or flight mode, because you don’t know what is coming next.
Being in this emotional state is exhausting and overwhelming right!
The unpredictability of a situation that is out of our control. It like being on an emotional roller coaster. The adrenaline kicks in and goes into overdrive, The feeling of heightened anxiety about what going to happen on the ride. However, I guess with a roller coaster the ride ends and we can calm our emotions.
This situation is something most of us have experienced before. In our lifetime, few of us have lived through a pandemic. This is all a new experience. Which understandable will bring up a whole lot of emotional overwhelm.
We can all take some comfort in knowing that this situation with the pandemic will also come to end. Kind of like the roller coaster ride come to an end. The wave of emotions will calm down. In the meant time how do we deal with the emotions going inside of us?
We don’t know what’s coming next.
We question the unknown
What will happen next,?
What will our world will look like in the future?
These are all reasonable questions to be asking.
I have heard the feeling we are experienced explained like this. It very much like the feeling that are experienced during grief.
Upon reflecting that description seems to fit. A feeling of loss of what use to be is no longer for many of us. The grief of losing the world we knew and felt had some predictability and security about it. Now coming to the realization that the world we once knew, has gone and has changed forever. This is no wonder feeling of emotional overwhelm is arising within. There is so much to process.
If we look at it, we all have lost something this year. We do not need to justify what we feeling about that loss by minimizing it. Or telling ourselves someone has it worse than us. Yes, it is possible; there are many people who have had a challenging time. However, it is okay for you feel the way you feel. Acknowledge your own feelings and give yourself permission to feel what you need to feel. Go within and feel what you feeling. Give yourself time and space to explore the emotions that is coming up for you.
I guess the next question you will be asking is what do we do about this emotional overwhelm. How do I deal with all the feelings that are coming up?
Many of us are feeling emotionally overwhelmed and energetically exhausted.
I get it! I have been feeling overwhelm and exhaustion too.
I want to share my best tips with you on how I have been able to calm emotional overwhelm.
Emotional overwhelm is something most of us have all experienced this year.
Those times when emotions feel like they are spiralling out of control. Its overwhelming trying to deal with all the emotions that are rising up inside.
When you feel emotionally overwhelmed. A natural reaction is for the mind to try to control the feeling. Your mind starts to kick in and bring up all sorts of self-talk. In my experience, this heightens the feelings. Then leads to even more emotional overwhelm!
We could all do with a little calmer in our life right now. Let’s look at five tips to calm emotional overwhelm.
#Tip 1 Be Aware Of Your Feeling
Observe yourself and answer these two questions: When I’m emotionally overwhelmed where do I feel it in my body?
What is my first reaction when I feel emotionally overwhelmed?
Once you completed tip one you will be more aware of how you feel and react to emotional overwhelm. Let move on to tip two.
#Tip 2: Breath And Ground Yourself.
When you feel yourself, reacting to emotional overwhelm, try this next step:
Ground yourself:
Sit with the feet touching the floor.
Become aware of your feet and firmly push them into the floor.
Feeling your feet firmly grounded.
Take your awareness to your breath. Focus on your breath. Breathe into the count of four. Breath out to the count of four Breath in the count of four and breath out to the count of four.
Repeat two more cycles (in and out to the count of four). This grounding and breathing are helpful in creating a sense of support. By grounding yourself and release some of your emotional overwhelm.
#Tip 3: Be Mindful- Calm The Mind.
When you are feeling emotionally overwhelm the mind will start to race. It comes up with lots of thoughts and will often go to worst case scenario thinking. Calm the mind by practising some mindfulness.
Stop for a moment.
Look around and name 5 things you can see.
Listen and name 5 things you can hear.
Notice 5 things you can feel on your body for example fingers, hands arm ect…
Practice this throughout the day and notice how it makes you feel. This practice helped you to calm the mind when you in a state of overwhelm. It brings the mind back to focal point and helps to gain back control over your thoughts.
#Tip 4 – Body Scan
Scan your body and be aware of any feelings of overwhelm that may be still present.
Starting at your feet then moving up your body.
Moving your attention up to your legs, your torso, arms, neck and head.
Bring your attention to the body and being within the body.
Take some slow deep breaths to release any uncomfortable sensations and calm yourself.
By bringing the attention to our body. We give our self’s the space to move out of the emotion and back into being present within the body.
#Tip 5- Affirm
One of my favourite was to calm my emotional is through affirmations.
Take a few slow breaths in and out.
If it feels good place you hand on your heart.
Repeat to yourself the affirmation “I am ok”
Keep repeating the words to yourself until you notice a shift in your emotions
These three simple words I find bring reassuring and have a calming effect.
By using tips they have helped me to gain back control over my emotions overwhelm. The best thing about these is they only take a few minutes. You can implemented these tips whenever the feeling of emotional overwhelm arises.
I hope these tips served you and helped you to release emotional overwhelm. Be kind and compassionate to yourself. Remind yourself that you doing the best you can under difficult circumstances.
I would love to help you with even more with strategies for emotional overwhelm. Learn more about my private session here
I have created some free meditations to calm emotions click here to download
Love and gratitude to you
Tanya x
