Read This When You Feel Overwhelmed

Summary

The web content offers a compassionate guide to managing feelings of overwhelm through mindfulness and self-care techniques.

Abstract

The article titled "Read This When You Feel Overwhelmed" provides a comforting respite from life's stresses, encouraging readers to engage in a series of mindfulness exercises. It recommends creating a peaceful environment, relaxing the body, and focusing on breathing to alleviate mental tension. The author, Julia, gently prompts the reader to acknowledge and accept their emotions, emphasizing the importance of self-validation and recognizing the transient nature of overwhelming feelings. The text guides the reader through a sensory exploration of their surroundings, suggesting appreciation for small joys and the control one has over their immediate experiences. The article concludes with a reminder that while external chaos cannot always be calmed, personal peace is attainable, and it offers practical support options for readers looking to engage further with the author's work.

Opinions

The author believes in the power of a calm, controlled environment to soothe an overwhelmed mind.
There is an emphasis on the validity of the reader's feelings and the importance of taking time for oneself.
The article conveys that momentary escape and mindfulness can significantly improve one's emotional state.
The author suggests that readers have the capacity to find contentment in simple pleasures and the natural progression of seasons.
Support for the author's work is encouraged through a Medium referral link or a donation via Ko-Fi, indicating a desire for a reciprocal relationship with the audience.

Take a time-out with me

Hey there, I know things are a bit much right now. Let’s take a small break from the world.

By the end of reading this, everything will seem a little better. You’ll feel a little better. I promise.

If you can: grab a cup of tea, put on comfortable clothes and warm socks. Find a quiet spot and close the windows. Play some calming music, soft ambience sounds, or play nothing at all. Roll down the curtains and dim the lights. Just take a moment to give your brain some rest. Be gone, overstimulation.

Relax your shoulders. Relax your jaws. Is there tension in your forehead? Let go.

Focus on your breathing for a moment, before moving on.

Visualize this: Whatever is on your mind, all those racing thoughts, you’re putting them away in a little box. Lock it, and put the box away. Those thoughts aren’t relevant now, not in this moment. You can deal with everything later, step-by-step, but right now you need to breathe.

Acknowledge whatever way you’re feeling right now. Accept any negative thoughts. You have every right to feel what it is that you feel. You’re valid and you’re worthy. Nothing else aside from you, purely existing in this world, determines your worth. Your feelings of overwhelm are just your body and mind communicating to you, signaling you to take a breather. You did well by honoring your feelings.

Let’s do a little mindfulness exercise. What do you see around you? Is there anything that catches your eye? Just pick a small thing that’s pleasing to look at. Focus on that thing and notice its colors, contours, and everything else you like about it. Or are you in the dark? Do you like being in the dark? Appreciate the stillness, the nothingness. Is there anything you can hear around you? Is rain touching the roof or windows? Wind, or birds? Is the sound nice to listen to? Or maybe you played some music, are the tones enjoyable? Maybe it’s completely quiet, which is fine too. In that case, you can probably hear yourself breathing. Notice the sound of fresh air entering your nose, and feel it filling up your lungs, providing your body with the oxygen it needs.

If there are any thoughts coming up, just let them. Let them come and go. It’s okay.

Whatever is going on right now, in your day or in your life, however good or bad you feel overall, remind yourself of the small joyful things in life. You have a warm bed to sleep in, you can eat the food you love and listen to music you enjoy. The sun shines during the day and the stars shine at night. It’s almost spring — we’ll get to enjoy nature blooming. You can always do things to make yourself feel better. You deserve to do things to make yourself feel better.

While slowly returning your focus to the outside world, outside of this moment, I want you to think of the things you can control today. What are the things that matter, that is also within your control?

You can’t calm the storm, but you can calm yourself. The storm will pass.

I hope this has helped you, and that the rest of your day is wonderful.

Much love,

Julia

I hope you enjoyed reading my post. If you don’t have a Medium subscription yet, consider signing up through my referral link. This way, you’ll directly support me and unlock access to all my stories (and those of others)! If you’re looking for another way to support me, you can buy me a Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/juliaspsychologyplatform. Thanks!