Are you feeling the change in the air? We’re always told transition is good, right? We can often see after the fact that change was good; however, being in the center of change is considerably complicated.
One of the reasons change is so difficult is that feelings of overwhelm often accompany it. With Spring approaching, even if your life doesn’t look like it’s shifting on the outside, you may be feeling an explosive sense of overwhelm on the inside.
COVID-19 is declining, and with newfound energy, almost everyone is living in a tricky evolution timeline.
I’ve absolutely been feeling it, and most of the people I’ve spoken to lately are also appearing overwhelmed. They often feel like there’s a lot of many things to do and not enough time or that things are uncertain and they aren’t sure how to go ahead.
Today, I want to dedicate the leadership articles that I write almost every day for NYK Daily to this topic of overwhelm and change. We’ll explore how to resist overwhelm, bring ease and focus to your day, improve your productivity, and boost your emotional intelligence makes you a better leader in handling change, no matter how drastic they seem to be.
How to start with change?
This coming week see whether you’re feeling puzzled. If so, simply acknowledge it and understand that you’re not alone. Millions of others are confused and scared after a challenging 2020 and an absurd start of 2021 (social distancing, work from home, falling businesses, etc.)
This can bring peace of mind and help you recognize what’s possibly going on for those around you.
The second step is to take deep breaths all day long when you realize that being overwhelmed is increasing for you. You can also calmly speak to yourself and say, “I know I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’m breathing to calm my thoughts and my mind.”
As I’m writing this, I realize this doesn’t just pertain to adults. I’ve noticed my boys act with much more enthusiasm these days (i.e., fists are flying). In fact, yesterday, my boy said, “I need to go run around the block a few times to get some of my power out.” This was after some intense wrestling in our backyard.
Let me explain that my boy has never discussed about going outside and running around the block. We used to make him run around the home when he was a baby to get his energy out. The only time he’s run around the block is to get in shape for the next Rugby season with intense peer pressure from his friends.
He came in after the jog and said, “I feel so much more real. I’m glad I ran to get my power out.”
So, we’re all feeling it, children and adults alike, and if we breathe and maybe even run it off, we’ll feel a lot pleasanter.
Result
The first step to feeling better on the inside is always becoming conscious of what’s causing you discomfort. Now that you know it is highly likely and entirely understandable that you are feeling overwhelmed or unrest, your acceptance of it and breathing will bring you more quickly to a place of peace.
