We all have our breaking points, they can be vastly different from one person to the next but we all have them. Sometimes they’re triggered by life events; Marriage, Divorce, A Death or Moving & sometimes they’re triggered by our own internal strife; Being unhappy, not knowing our true self, listening to the noise around you rather then to that small voice inside. There are dozens of more examples of these things & of course we can always add ‘people’. Yes, people can push over the edge. I personally try to move away from this because I’ve come to understand that I have no control over how people react in my life. Certainly in the moment I can get caught up in the energy of the other person but I quickly realize that whatever they’re upset about may not have anything to do with me. No matter how well you think you know another person, you can never know truly what’s ‘bothering’ them unless they’re willing to talk about it & you’re willing to truly listen (not an easy task always).
My point here isn’t what triggers the feeling of being overwhelmed or having enough. The reason you reach that point isn’t as important as being in that state of mind & how you react when you get there. So when you reach your breaking point, what do you do? Do you scream & yell, to hide away from the world? Do you avoid people or situations so you don’t go even further over the edge? Do you drink more or take drugs to dull your feelings until you get through to the other side of this tipping point?
I personally have no perfect solution to the feeling of being overwhelmed; I have discovered though that there are ways beyond the feeling & although I have fallen into this trap from time to time myself, I have discovered ways to minimize the length of time for feeling overwhelmed. What makes this situation even worse is stress. When stress is added to the equation of feeling overwhelmed you can really dig yourself a tough hole to get out of.
So what I have learned? First, give yourself permission to feel overwhelmed. It’s ok, really it is. We deal with so much in our lives today that no other generation had to worry about. Everything happens so much faster & the world expects an answer now, not tomorrow, not next week but now. So it truly is ok to feel overwhelmed, it’s ok to feel you’ve had a enough, allow the feeling, feel the feeling & then let it go. This may sound easy & after you practice releasing feelings or any kind it will become easier. For now just trust that by slowing down, relaxing & releasing the situation to God/universe you can begin to heal from this overwhelming feeling.
Secondly, I give myself time. I try to push as much stuff in my life to a future date or I ask for help from friends or family explaining that currently my plate is full & if you can do xy or z for me it would really help me right now. This can be a tough thing for some people to do but think about how wonderful you feel when you’re able to help a friend or family member with something. Don’t deny them that same wonderful feeling allow them to help with whatever they can.
Thirdly, be grateful! Find something in your life that you’re grateful for, no matter how bad things are you can always find something to be grateful for & by experiencing true gratitude you will begin to feel less overwhelmed. I have personally found that this step alone can lift me back up, for through gratitude everything is possible.
Finally, for me, the final step is to understand that this to shall pass. Nothing lasts forever & even though when we’re in the middle of a situation it can feel like it, it will come to end. Think through all things you’ve gone through in your life; give yourself credit for making it through everything that’s happened to you in the past. We all tend to be the hardest on ourselves so instead give yourself credit & know that you’ve made it through all the things you’ve experienced before & you’ll make it through this as well.
We all are beautiful divine creatures & we can’t control everything that happens in our lives. We can learn from what we face & grow into a better understanding of how to face uncertainty in the future. You have the power within you to create the world you want to live in. You have the power to transform your life into anything that you want it to be. Believe in yourself; believe in the process of life & growth. Know the joy in every moment even the moments we’d rather forget. Joy is all around us & if we allow ourselves to discover it even in the hard times, imagine how much we’ll find in the good times.
Till next time,
Bill
Quote of the day: “You are beautiful, you are love & you can change the world, believe & it will be.”
