3 Ways To Feel Less Overwhelm
Tis the season for our to-do lists to grow, obligations to spike, and unrealistic expectations to creep in.
What's the first warning sign that you're feeling overwhelmed?
My daughter gets headaches, my dad used to fall asleep, and I can't take a deep breath.
3 Ways To Feel Less Overwhelm:
- Remind yourself that you are human
- Tackle to-dos in groups of three
- Get outside
You Are Only Human After All
It seems silly, but what got you to this point is the fact that you took on more than you should have, and even though you know it's too much, you're still expecting by some miracle to pull it off.
Make A List And Cross It Off
Scientists say when we see a list of three items to accomplish, we have a better attitude, and our perspective is positive.
When the list is more than three items, there is something in our brain that sounds an alarm like, we will never get all this done, and we enter the tasks with a more defeated, worn-out attitude.
You can have a master to-do list, but every night take a post-it and write down three tasks to accomplish the next day (and only three).
Imagine what you will get done in a week by completing three tasks a day.
Become One With Nature (At least For 5-Minutes)
Even five minutes can reset your autonomic nervous system.
Being in nature slows down our breathing, slows down our heart rate, lowers our blood pressure, and decreases the amount of cortisol (our stress hormone) in our bodies.
I could go on and on about the benefits of being outside (cold or not), but you have to trust me, this one is a biggie, and because it's so simple, stand out for 5 minutes, it gets overlooked.
Don't skip this one. I can be struggling to take a deep breath, step outside, and within a couple of minutes, my chest relaxes, and I can breathe normally again.
This Will Help, I Promise
I know none of these will take away all the stress that comes with this season, AND I know they will help you enjoy this time of year more.