![]() |
The Sentry (1654) by Carel Fabritius |
What is a productive response to feeling overwhelmed? I'm asking for a friend, of course. I just consulted Dr. Google on this one, and let's just say...
The response is overwhelming.
I did, however, find one article wherein the author lists four helpful steps:
- Take a deep breath
- Make a list
- Create a clear actionable plan
- Stop multitasking
As I have said before, I often find myself losing my breath during the day. My chest tightens, my eyes squint, and my jaw clenches.
It's all part of a process of going inward, of shrinking into my own space. I haven't imploded yet.
Yet.
Still, deep and intentional breaths help.
And so do lists--to write down the tasks, and have reasonable and achievable goals.
Then there is the avoidance of multitasking. When I'm writing, I do best when I shut everything down. All it takes is one email to pull me away.
So yes, I agree. These are all healthy steps to managing feelings of being overwhelmed.
Very healthy.
But I have my own list of unhealthy responses...
- Avoidance--"Hey, internet, what have you been up to?"
- Fretting--Nothing gets done, but I feel worse.
- Eating--Preferably packaged things with massive quantities of fat, sugar, and salt.
- Sleeping--wait, what? Sleeping?
OK, let me explain...
Once in graduate school, I reached the end of the semester and had a pile of essays due. I was way behind, so I blocked off an afternoon to get some stuff done. I settled in, opened my books, and...
Slept...
I slept like a boss.
Deep REM stuff.
For hours.
I slept like a boss.
Deep REM stuff.
For hours.
I still get sleepy in moments of stress. But I'm less inclined to take a dim view of this response since Dr. Google told me that sleep can be a helpful coping mechanism. To put it simply, sleep helps the brain to reset and refocus. This reminds me of a sports psychologist I once heard, giving a talk on the importance of sleep for athletic performance and overall health and well-being. Among his several key insights, the speaker emphasized that in America, we tend to associate sleep with laziness, or as a signal of weakness. But this is shortsighted. The brain and body both need rest, time to catch up, and time to heal.
So I think I'll move sleep to my list of healthy responses to feeling overwhelmed.
And maybe I'll even take a nap to prove my point.
Comments
Post a Comment