Admitting that you’re overwhelmed can be difficult. The word “overwhelmed” has a lot of stigma attached to it, and some leaders and entrepreneurs may even see it as a weakness. So let’s put an end to that line of thinking right now.
We all feel overwhelmed from time to time. You may feel more comfortable describing it as “fried,” “crazy busy,” or “just done.” Whatever you call it – it happens and it’s normal.
Let’s do a quick exercise.
When you get stressed, where is the first place you notice a change in how your body feels? Are your shoulders up around your ears? Can you only take shallow breaths? Do you get a headache? Take a moment to map the sensations that you feel – these are all data points that will help you to understand how your body responds to stress.
Once you know how your body responds, you can interrupt that feeling of overwhelm by checking in with yourself. How you do this is different for everyone. For some it may be taking a few deep breaths in order to regulate their breathing. For others it may be relaxing their shoulders. Wherever and however your body carries stress, it’s worth the time and effort to figure out how to interrupt it before it fully takes over. Left unchecked, stress continues to build and becomes much harder to redirect, navigate, and soothe.
Let us know in the comments how your body responds to stress and how you deal with it – you may help someone else improve their stress response!