We feel it in our bodies – the push-and-pull demands on our attention, our energy, and our input. A relentless bombardment of new information, urgent requirements, and fresh opportunities. Obligations, demands, expectations, and chores, all needing our attention, and all needing it now.
We hardly have energy to walk the dog, let alone ‘living our full potential’. Depending on our styles, most of us are freezing in, fleeing from, or fighting overwhelm.
We cried for help, and over decades, we got the same answers:
- Focus on that which matters most to you (your goals, or your “why’s”).
- Break your tasks down into manageable chunks.
- Minimise energy leaks, burdens that do not belong to you, or tasks that take you away from your “why”, or your bliss.
- Distinguish between what is important and what is urgent, and prioritise.
- Just start.
And the biggie: Boundaries! Just say No.
I’m oversimplifying, but that was the gist of how we managed overwhelm. And it worked! To a certain extent.
Alas, we are no longer operating in linear timelines, and nothing is simple or straightforward anymore. More and more we have access to our true multi-dimensional reality, and absolute statements no longer apply.
Yet, there is and always will be errands to run, people to take care of, bills to pay, work to be done, love to be made, ends to meet, and potentials to be fulfilled. We still need direction, focus, and mastery over our resources. In fact, we need it more than ever, lest we drown in a sea of confusion and rapid changes.
Thing is, when most people think “overwhelm”, they think of external influences, demands, or information. And certainly, limiting our exposure to these, enforcing strong boundaries, and aligning our energy with our values, is sage advice.
However, I believe we need to look a bit deeper, into what is happening at a deeper, perhaps metaphysical level…
Because we are quantum beings, and because energy (what we are made of) is spinning faster and faster as we gain access to higher frequencies, more information, more ideas, and more energy is absorbed into our bodies. It is a natural and unavoidable process as our spiritual evolution gain momentum.
This has the following effects, amongst others:
- Our intuition is becoming refined. Something that many yearned for. But the thing about intuition is, it doesn’t give you bite-size information. Suddenly you just know, (and know a lot!).
- Our awareness is being sharpened to include more of the non-physical. Some refer to “downloads’. Oftentimes, instantaneously you now have “stuff” to sift through.
- We feel more. Our energy fields have expanded, and we have access to more. It’s not forced upon us, and we don’t always “attract” it, it is just there.
Which means “managing” the stuff to prevent overwhelm, even with the strongest boundaries, only goes so far. We will forever be breaking down bitesize chunks, and still more information will be coming in.
Of course we can tone it down. We can literally ask for less quantum information to be revealed to us, or close our receptors. That’s one way.
But that also stifles natural creativity, and ultimately our freedom to choose.
I’ll give you a practical, personal example. I spend quite a bit of time in the land of ideas and concepts, to distil them into teachings and workable tools for clients. And because I am open, an insurmountable number of visions, insights, and knowledge can enter. And whilst it may sound magnificent, it can become like a bit like a dog chasing its tail, and yes, totally overwhelming. The “old” way of just drawing a line in the sand, focusing on one aspect at a time, and the bite-size-chunk theory is valid, but almost impossible for a quantum mind, and besides, does not seem so attractive anymore when you’ve literally got access to limitless potential.
So, we have to find another way.
That’s where the body comes in. See, mostly when we try to “manage” overwhelm, we go about it with the mind: strategise, focus, limit, prioritise. Powerful activities for our super-powerful, incredibly masterful minds.
But incomplete without the body. The body is where it all gets anchored – healthy strategies and habits, as well as those less healthy ones. It is a crucial partner in receiving the energy, demands, information, and experiences we encounter all day long. And a most powerful ally to an expansive container for it.
So how do we work with the body to help us to not drown in overwhelm?
The good news is that the body requires simple activities. Things like:
Spend time in nature. The body needs connection with nature to function optimally. Don’t just look out of the window, whenever you can, go barefoot on the grass or the sand. Deeply smell all fragrances, not only the roses. Touch the trees, hold your skin against it long enough for the tree to share its message with your body. Immerse your body into natural water. Physicality is key.
Move your body. Not only for fitness or flexibility, but to make space for the energy and plethora of stuff entering. Move your body so excess energy can go, and the immediate or important stuff can grow.
Strengthen your body, and nervous system. Emotional energy moves through the body. The stronger your physical container is, the easier it moves. The easier energy moves, the less chance for experiences like overwhelm to take root. And do not forget about the breath. I have yet to encounter a mental or emotional obstacle that cannot benefit from breath awareness practices.
Massages. The days are long gone that a massage is only a relaxing luxury. It has become an essential tool for moving energy.
Know your archetypal patterns. No getting around this – if you know your default patterns of gaining, losing, or suppressing power, you can use this to manage energy, (and thus, potential overwhelm), rather than trying to resist something that is innate, or pretending it isn’t so. Your shadow patterns are stronger than your conscious mind, so trying to prevent overwhelm from the conscious mind only, is futile.
Make time for stillness. Stillness is not merely the absence of sounds (though it may help in cultivating a stillness or meditation practice!). Stillness is the ability to deeply listen to your essence, and to experience what is around you without interference of your own judgement. It changes your perspective. Set your alarm for 5 min a day to simply sit and experience. You won’t “get it right” every time, so let go of perfectionism and just start listening.
Notice and adjust the way you speak. I must, I should, I need to, I will. Can you feel the contraction in your body when you read these out aloud, or even in your head? Imagine what it does to your energy field constantly spitting out these phrases!
Cultivating discipline. Discipline is not only about a repetitive focus on what needs to be done. Carlos Castenada defines discipline as the ‘ability to hear your own spirit to help you overcome earthly challenges’. It would serve us well to cultivate discipline as a default behaviour to become intimately connected with our Higher Guidance, not merely when we need to focus, or to eliminate overwhelm.
Being okay with temporary discomfort. Sometimes we just have a lot on our plate. The key is awareness, and to know when it is a temporary situation that we can manage with boundaries, priorities and focus, and when is it becoming a lifestyle that puts us permanently on the defensive and overdrive. And the best way to learn to be in discomfort without freaking out, is through the body.
We live in a dualistic world. When the seesaw tips to the one side, and when the mind feels overwhelmed, we have to counter-balance it through grounding, physical, and kinesthetic practices. Else life will do it for us, and we will feel it in our bodies, but perhaps in the form of dis-ease, pain, and illness.
We have enough mind. It is time we honour our bodies as the powerful ally it is in supporting us, rather than a last resort when it has finally had enough.
About the Author:
Celeste Du Toit is a Transformational Coach, Workshop Facilitator, and Spiritual Storyteller based in KZN, South Africa. Her approach is holistic and body-centered to help identify and change beliefs, patterns, and behaviours that are keeping us stuck, and her work
Her grounded approach focuses on archetypal imbalances and misalignments in the physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual bodies, and appeals to people who take responsibility to live their highest potential and truth.
Her blogs, vlogs, and writing tap into her poetic, questioning, and enigmatic side.
To connect with Celeste:
FB: LiveYourTruthWithCeleste/
IG: @liveyourtruth_with_celeste
