When we’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, burnt out, or anxious we tend to move around quickly and frenetically from one task to another. We do this because it’s what we feel is needed to get everything done. That hasty movement from one thing to another tells us subconsciously that if we are having to move so rapidly, then there must be some threat, and therefore we are unsafe, leading to an even greater sense of overwhelm, stress, burn out or anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle. It can feel exhausting and like there’s no let up from that feeling of being ‘on’ and ‘fighting the fire.’
An incredible tool, when we’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, burnt out or anxious is to move more slowly. Our bodies are great teachers, and we can use them to instruct our nervous system. If, when you feel overwhelmed, you make the conscious choice to move around the house, office, world a little bit more slowly, you are giving yourself the subconscious message that the world is a safe place to be, it’s safe enough to go slowly, to take your time, to smell the flowers as you walk past them down the street. Meditation works similarly, even if you don’t sit for long, but you manage to give yourself a few moments of stillness, you are telling yourself it’s safe to stop for a minute, it’s safe not to keep juggling everything every single moment.
One of the best mantras I tell myself when I shut my eyes (and thank you Deepak Chopra for this) is ‘there’s nowhere to go and there’s nothing to do’. It brings me right into the present moment, it makes me feel safe, and my body is supporting the statement because it isn’t rushing from one thing to another.
The body and the mind can dial up our stress and overwhelm, but they can also help to soothe us and bring us back to a state of peace and calm.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash