Last week I had what felt to me like a meltdown. I was completely overwhelmed and in tears. It could have been a combination of not getting enough sleep, recently travelling with my mom for medical reasons, working full-time and building my business or figuring out a new online grading system at work.
I felt like running away and hiding somewhere alone, peaceful, disconnected from everything and everyone. What made it worse was that I felt guilty for feeling the way that I felt. For a moment, I wanted to snap out of it. I wanted to pretend that I was okay when my wise friend and Millennial Mentor, Gaynete’s words came to mind – honour your feelings. Those were the exact words that she messaged to me when I told her that I was afraid before my summer travels to India.
Have you ever felt like me?
Have you ever felt like you needed a time out from everything and everyone? Have you ever felt like you would burst into tears or scream if one more thing was added to your already piled-too-high plate?
There was a lesson for me in all of this. Here’s what I learned from my experience.
1. Honour your feelings. According to Mike Dooley, author of Infinite Possibilities, “Emotions provide feedback on our progress in life. Emotions offer confirmation that we’re on the right path or give us a chance to reconsider our perspectives.” Sometimes a good cry (or scream) works wonders. Honouring and acknowledging how you feel gives you an opportunity to choose how you want to feel.
2. Better out than in. I learned this when I attended Dr. Karen’s Chakra class a few years ago. Holding things in causes stress to pent up in your body, much like a pressure cooker or volcano. It is better to let your feelings out than to hold them in.
3. Write out how you feel. I wrote down exactly how I felt. I am angry, upset, frustrated, overwhelmed with…..I was completely transparent and honest with me. Writing out how you feel helps you to identify and get clear on exactly what you are feeling.
4. Think about how you want to feel. Once I got my frustrations out, I thought about how I wanted to feel. I wrote empowering words for how I wanted to feel. I am choosing to feel better. I choose to feel at ease. I wrote my empowering affirmations on index cards and put them on my desk. I wrote one on my hand as well. There is relief in knowing that you always have a choice in how you feel.
Do not allow overwhelm to hold you hostage
Overwhelm is replaying the feelings or experiences that do not feel good to you over and over in your mind. Overwhelm can only hold you hostage when you believe that you do not have a choice. You feel stuck. The moment you decide how you want to feel and take steps to feel better, slowly but surely your feelings of overwhelm will begin to dissipate. When you take ownership of your feelings, you reclaim your power. You are no longer a victim to your feelings and experiences.
Under extremely stressful situations you may find that these steps work for a short time, only to creep back in.
Do not give up. If it worked for a few minutes – it worked! Just repeat as often as necessary. Take a few minutes (or more if needed) to detach from your phone and people, do some deep breathing and/or go for a walk as a bonus.
Shifting your energy takes time. There is no quick fix. Change your energy and experiences by changing one thought and one emotion at a time.
Powerhouse Empowering Thought: I can shift my energy by choosing how I want to feel. I choose to feel better. I choose to feel at ease. I choose.
Wishing you all the best with feeling better and more at ease,
Powerhouse Perry
Keema Perry is a Powerhouse Guide. She teaches busy, professional women who feel overworked, overstretched and overwhelmed how to reclaim their power.
For daily tips on ways to reclaim your power, follow her on Facebook and/or Instagram.
Keema hosts Masterclasses and offers a Powerhouse 1:1 Freedom Formula Premium Program for Busy Professional Women Over 40. This Premium Program is for the busy woman who is sick and tired of doing everything for everyone else and longs to feel balanced, happy and free.
