It is easy to become overwhelmed by life. You might feel you are operating at maximum capacity; barely juggling work, family and finance, looking forward to relaxing at the weekend – only to find you have an extra project lumped on you, people coming to stay that you forgot to put in the calendar, an unexpected bill and the beginnings of a headache and sore throat. Oh yeah, then the dog drags in something dead and vile and rubs it into the carpet.
It’s all a bit much.
How do you possibly make it all work? Firstly, trite as it may sound, stop and breathe. Then think carefully and clearly. What can you do, in this moment only, to make a difference? A list is often a good start.
In this moment;
- the most urgent thing is what the dog dragged in. Remove it and clean up.
- next, take some vitamin c and have a quick nap – that can work wonders for your immune system and mental health
- look at the project – how much do you have to complete right now? Can it be tackled in a few pieces, or can some of it be delegated?
- your friends will be fun – while it wasn’t the kind of relaxation you were anticipating, you might get some new insight into your other issues after talking them through with someone else. Good friends don’t require airs and graces, just a bit of food and good company.
- now to the bill – what a nuisance. If you can find a way to pay it, great. If not, you may need to make an arrangement to pay it off. If you keep people informed, they can be surprisingly flexible.
You can only ever act in the present moment. It is a useful skill to be able to make a ‘practical to-do’ list, with clear actions and time frames, so that you can quieten those ‘future worries,’ which can tend to tip you over the edge.
Your brain can only process so much at once, so break down your to-do’s into bite-sized chunks. If you’re really panicking, it will seem a futile process in the beginning, but persevere. It is incredible how calming having a plan is. It is an action map. Fears and problems only grow when they are not addressed.
Further to that, you can only control yourself and your reactions. If your worries involve other people, you cannot spur them into action, force your will upon them or fix them. The best support you can be is to be calm, organised and prepared to take action if they ask for support.
By dealing with this moment only, you will be able to track a series of small accomplishments, which will make you feel more in control, and help bring your worries back into perspective.