Overcoming that Overwhelming Feeling

A few weeks ago, I blogged about feeling overwhelmed and a little out of whack.  It felt like we were constantly on the go and never had any time to unwind/relax.  Even when random pockets of time appeared, my mind constantly stayed in motion – what’s next, what could/should I be doing right now, etc.  Not at all the way I prefer to operate!

I got what was in my head out on the screen and promised (myself) to do things differently.  That brings us to today.

Life is honestly just as wacky, but I’m finding that I’m a lot calmer (this is relative!).  I think this has to do with a few simple changes I put into place to make my days feel more balanced.  Changes like…

Reading – I scheduled mandatory reading nights where I crawl into bed a little early and read until my eyes feel heavy (this usually takes 15-20 minutes).

Prepping – Vishnu and I take 10-15 minutes every night and prep for the following day.  Things like packing our lunches, getting our bags ready, etc.

Weekending – Upon examining my weekends, I realized that I schedule various errands on both Saturday and Sunday.   Now, instead of doing that, I’m planning ahead to ensure one of the days is as free from mundane obligations as possible.

Asking for help – I’m absolutely horrible at this.  But I know that in order to not feel overwhelmed, I need to ask for help, especially at home. Vishnu and I discussed this one and came to an understanding – it’s hard for me to ask for help, he doesn’t always extend help because of this, we need to meet somewhere in the middle.  Let’s call this one a work in progress!

Sleeping – This one isn’t as much about the act of sleeping as it is about the process of going to sleep.  Because we didn’t have nightstands until this weekend, I used my phone as an alarm clock.  However, instead of putting the phone in a random corner of the room, I kept it on the ledge next to the bed.  This equated to way too much time spent mindlessly perusing the internet right before bed.  A very bad habit!

So now, I’m going back to my roots and using an actual alarm clock versus my phone.  I’m hoping this helps with my sleep quality which should pretty much trickle down to every part of my life!

These are the habits that have brought more calm into my life over the past few weeks.  In terms of what else I need/want to start doing, here’s that list…

Meditating – Study after study shows that meditating for even a few hours a day yields huge benefits.  It’s me time in the truest sense, and I need to build 5-10 minutes of it into my daily schedule.

Running [outside] – I have yet to find a ‘Parita approved’ outdoor running route near our apartment.  Being accustomed to outdoor running in Florida, I find this to be such a bummer.  Outdoor running (vs. treadmill running) is so energizing for me.  I need to find a route ASAP before the temperature starts to take a turn for the worse.

Even though I feel much better than I did a few weeks ago, I know the ups and downs will come and go.  And to be honest, I think I’m getting better at dealing with them every time.  Here’s to overcoming that overwhelming feeling!

Your turn – what are your tips and tricks for overcoming those overwhelming feelings?