Sometimes it feels like there’s no time to breathe—crisis after crisis, endless meetings, constant social demands, mounting health issues, lost appetite, and a desire to give up. Life is relentless wearing down a weary soul, like a stretched rubber band nearing its limit.
It’s as if life tears up your day planner and throws it into the wind. Rebuilding inner peace feels impossible, and moving forward becomes a struggle. All you can do is sleep, but that only worsens things, leaving your to-do list behind and increasing your stress.
Just sitting there doesn’t help. And staring at the chaos left behind from the maelstrom isn’t going to get you motivated to pick yourself up and start over.
So, what can you do?
Here are a few steps you can try:
Step One…
Don’t beat yourself up. Getting mad doesn’t help the situation. And taking it out on yourself certainly isn’t going to solve the problems the storms left behind…or are still raging.
Sometimes it feels like there’s no time to breathe—crisis after crisis, endless meetings, constant social demands, mounting health issues, lost appetite, and a desire to give up. Life is relentless wearing down a weary soul, like a stretched rubber band nearing its limit.
It’s as if life tears up your day planner and throws it into the wind. Rebuilding inner peace feels impossible, and moving forward becomes a struggle. All you can do is sleep, but that only worsens things, leaving your to-do list behind and increasing your stress.
Just sitting there doesn’t help. And staring at the chaos left behind from the maelstrom isn’t going to get you motivated to pick yourself up and start over.
So, what can you do?
Here are a few steps you can try:
Step One…
Don’t beat yourself up. Getting mad doesn’t help the situation. And taking it out on yourself certainly isn’t going to solve the problems the storms left behind…or are still raging.
Instead, take a deep breath. Remember that you didn’t cause all this. (But this only works if you actually didn’t start the snowball in the first place. If you did, then this probably isn’t the step you should start with. Just sayin’…)
Step 2…
Practice mindfulness.
I know. It’s become an annoying buzz word lately, but it does help. When the mind is able to be retrained to focus on what is going on around it – what the senses are sensing instead of internalizing all that is happening – it gives it a chance to destress.
Take about 20 minutes or more in the morning to try this. It doesn’t take fancy meditation influencers or electronic music to retrain the brain.
If it’s not unpleasant, step outside with a treat, coffee, tea, or water, and watch the sunrise. Listen to the birds and feel the wind, if any. If the weather’s bad, do this by a window, crack it open to let fresh air in and replace stagnant indoor air.
Start with at least three deep breaths through your nose. As you do it, picture pure, clean energy being drawn through your nose and into your lungs. Then gently blow it all the way out through your mouth imagining all the stress in your shoulders, back, and neck being released with that breath. This gentle breath tells your nervous system that it’s safe to relax and let go—the danger is over.
Then focus on your surroundings. Consciously direct your mind to sense everything outside yourself, rather than what’s happening inside your head.
What do you hear? The birds, insects, wind?
What do you feel? The breeze? Is it cool or warm? The fur of your dog or cat? Is it soft or rough? The grass beneath your feet or cold cement under them? What is the texture of it?
What do you taste? What are the notes in your drink or food that your tongue is picking up on? Is it sweet, bitter, pungent? Do you find something in it that you hadn’t noticed before? (Hopefully not a fly…)
What do you see? Look around and try to pick up on at least one thing you hadn’t noticed before. Maybe the color of the leaves changing, or the texture of a stick on the lawn. Or a neighbor walking a dog – is there something about the person or animal that is different than before?
Step Three…
Sing. Put your heart into a song that moves you. Even if you don’t feel like it.
That outward expression of what is going on inside you, even if it’s off-key or only a silent whisper, will help you to release some of the tension within. Start out with the chorus of your favorite tune. Then build up the courage to make it a little louder each time you sing it.
Even if you don’t know the real words, put your feelings into the melody and make up your own.
Singing is a way to vocalize what couldn’t be expressed in words.
Step Four…
When you are ready to end the mindfulness, see if you have gotten even a little bit of the stresses out. But if you still feel stressed, try putting on some music such as those with Biurnal Beats or Drums that are at the frequency that seems to unlock your tension, like this one:
You can try listening to my personal favorite, someone like Malte Martin playing his metal handpan. He’s got energetic pieces like this one:
Or quieter more subtle meditative ones like this one:
Then listen to your body…
During the day, listen to your body. If you find your neck hurting, your mood becoming irritable, the tasks becoming unbearable, take a break. Longer than you would think you should.
Go for a walk. Put on some dance music and rock out. Get your body moving. It is getting into a Fight or Flight mode and needs to release that pent up stress.
When you are calmer…
That is when you will have a clearer head to pick up the pieces the storm left behind. Start small. Begin with just organizing the simple things that you do every day. Make a routine, like brushing your teeth in the morning, making breakfast, take a breath of fresh air outside, and make your bed.
Whatever it is that are the necessities for making your life a tiny bit more comfortable, put that down and just focus on those little things for now. It will take your body time to wind down and realize it isn’t in danger anymore.
Then rest…
Take naps. Don’t push yourself. Just take time to try to enjoy your life again by practicing refocusing your senses to the outside world instead of the inside clatter.
There will be time enough to put your dayplanner back together again. Later. When you have seen yourself clear of the crisis.
But for now, just breath.
You’ll get through this.
While I cannot give you a personal hug, know that I wrap my words like loving arms around you. May those bring comfort to let you know you are important. And you are not alone.