DEALING WITH OVERWHELM

“What you cannot find in your body, you will never find elsewhere.”
- Upanishads

Brian Tzraskos, my fascinating and ever-inspiring colleague and teacher, quoted this last week in a presentation on how to deal with overwhelm. He also mentioned that there are currently over 10,000 mental health apps out there! 10, 000!! Those apps are a relatively healthy means of finding relief from the emotional discomfort of feeling overwhelmed by life’s circumstances. We all know about the less healthy ways, things like sugar, alcohol, food, shopping, drugs.  Clearly, people everywhere are searching for a source of peace and security.  

This coming week, think of the term “overwhelm” as you go through your days. Maybe it will help you target the moments when you’re beginning to spin off into stress and exhaustion, and catch them before they erode your sense of well-being. It’s good to practice on the little things, the annoyances that are suddenly much more annoying than they “should” be, things like dropped keys, or forgetting where you left your phone. Notice what’s happening in your body, and notice where it’s happening. Then do three long, slow, deep and unforced breaths, allowing the breath to move all the way down to your belly on the inhale. Exhale and let it go; find a sense of spaciousness and softness within you. That’s it! No apps necessary. Let me know if it helps. I’ll post your comments and insights in future letters; that’s how we teach each other.

For more tools to manage, or even better, totally avoid overwhelm, join us Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday mornings for our online Qigong classes. Beginners are always welcomed: the exercises are easy to follow and constantly changing.