Managing Overwhelm

Day 13 of 31: 200 Words-a-Day Challenge

The rules for this challenge are simple. If you need my prompt below, use it. If not, still write. JUST WRITE....as many words as you need to…about whatever you want to write.

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Managing Overwhelm

Yesterday, I wrote about allowing the muse to take our writing wherever needs to go, trusting that if we show up, ideas will show up as well. So here, for a second day in a row, I’m showing up with my mind a blank.

I feel uninspired for several reasons. For one: a dear family member is having surgery today so I’m worried. Another: a vision I’ve been developing for my future writing practice received some criticism yesterday that left me deflated. It wasn’t unjustified or delivered unkindly. Exactly the opposite, in fact. When I can get some distance from it and re-listen to the recording of our conversation, I’m sure much of it will be helpful. But it was just… too much at one time.

I’ve learned about myself that I’m a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). I really despise that term, but it’s one that researchers and clinical psychologists have adopted because it is an apt descriptive. The problem is the many ways in which it gets misinterpreted and misused.

I might go into more about being an HSP some other time, but if you want to know more, go to https://hsperson.com/ and also look up Dr. Elaine Aron’s book, The Highly Sensitive Person. For now, I just need to acknowledge how I’m processing the overwhelm of information and advice delivered to me yesterday and how I’m feeling about that. And, also, the fact that the convo was being recorded for a podcast, so it will soon be out in the world for all to see and hear!

Immediately after the interview, I had to do 20 minutes of exercise to release all the energy that had built up in my body. Also, my mind was reeling, and the movement helped calm that too.

This morning, I wanted to dive straight into the material again, see what I could learn and/or implement. But thanks in large part to Dr. Aron’s book helping me better understand myself, I’m giving myself some distance. I’m putting aside thoughts of the discussion and concerns for what to do with the new information until next week.

I’m certain all of it is still percolating in my subconscious… which is exactly what I want to happen. Experimenting with this approach has shown that after a few days, my mind will settle on one or a few of the ideas and reveal them to me in a whole new way that my stubborn, controlling conscious mind could not have conceived.

PS Just ‘journaling’ in this way about the overwhelm has given me additional peace about it. So, while this is not a muse-inspired piece of eloquent writing, I trusted that what needed to come would come. And it did. Getting words on the page is medicine for me and another tool for dealing with all manner of emotions.

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Your Prompt / Day 13 of 31

Do you have an arsenal of tools to call upon to help you handle overwhelm? If not, brainstorm or explore different rituals, practices, behaviors—whatever you’d like to call them—that could help you through challenging times. Make a list you can refer to when needed (often in the moments of overwhelm, our mind can’t even conjure what we already know). I’d especially love to hear your thoughts on this if you identify as an HSP, too.

To share, post what you write into the comments or Notes. We hope you will. And to comment on others’ shared writing: (1) be kind, (2) don’t critique unless explicitly requested, (3) tell the writer what in their writing resonated with you, made you think differently, or was an ‘aha’ for you.

Thanks for joining me in this challenge! Please invite your friends.