By Kristi Casey
Blaring headlines. Hysterical social posts. Looming deadlines. Endless household chores.
Add all that together and it’s hard NOT to get overwhelmed.
If you find yourself feeling powerless and paralyzed, here’s something to try to help you regain balance: Fill your cup first.
What do I mean by that?
I mean: before you start scrolling, watching TV or trying to catch up on the news, take a moment to center yourself. For example:
• Go for a walk, do yoga, or meditate
• Make yourself a cup of tea or play an instrument
• Cuddle with a pet, your child or significant other
• Create your to-do or to-don’t list
Do something that nourishes your spirit and soul before you let the outside world in.
If you don’t, you might unintentionally let what’s happening outside of your control infect your mind with despair, anger or another feeling that doesn’t wholly belong to you.
That’s how we get overwhelmed. That’s why we start feeling hopeless and stuck.
Change comes for us all. When we face it, we need clear eyes and a light heart. Otherwise, we can’t turn obstacles into opportunities.
Avoid the overwhelm by inoculating yourself with a few simple rituals.
An antidote to overwhelm
When you take time to center yourself, to do a mental inventory of how you’re feeling and prioritize what you want to do before considering the demands of the outside world, it’s easier to maintain your balance.
And in a world that’s rapidly shifting, maintaining perspective and poise will help you stay loose, adapt, strategize and pivot while everyone else is frozen in shock.
First thing in the morning, fill your cup with:
• Love
• Laughter
• Friendship
• Self-care
• Self-love
• Mindfulness
• Intention
• Intuition
• Wisdom
• Patience
• Compassion
Do what you need to do to cultivate your gifts and talents. Show yourself grace. Share your gratitude. All of this will make you strong and build your capacity for resilience. And we need you to be strong and resilient.
SeLF-Care is COMMUNITY CARE
At the end of the day, create a ritual that helps you wash away outside cares so you can focus on restorative rest.
For example:
• Light a candle
• Sing a song
• Massage your face, hands, and feet
• Journal or meditate
• Count your blessings
• Visualize how you want to feel
A bedtime ritual allows you to take off the mantle of outside cares. It gives you time to settle back into yourself so you can sleep restfully.
You can’t take care of other people if you’re exhausted and your nervous system is overloaded. And all the troubles of the world will still be there tomorrow. It’s not on you to agonize about them 24/7.
That’s why self-care is a radical act, to paraphrase Audre Lorde. It enables us to have the strength to stand up to those who would oppress us or our neighbors and fight for what we believe is right.
Your challenge: Create rituals to combat overwhelm!
Your challenge this week is to combat that feeling of overwhelm by finding ways to fill your cup in the morning and to empty it before you go to bed.
Don’t know where to start? Try some of the options mentioned above. Or ask your body what it needs. Or sit down and free-write about what ritual activities you’d like to try.
Resist the urge to judge what you’re attracted to or what pops into your head.
This is for you, so be as goofy, earnest or woo-woo as you want. We’re not looking!
You may need to experiment to find a combination that works. Or do something different every day. That’s okay. The important thing is to do this for you … to relax, focus and have fun.
That’s your challenge.
Let me know how it goes! Share your thoughts and experiences by writing a letter to the editor of this paper or tagging @trulykristi on social channels.
Kristi Casey is a creative alchemist who paints, performs with the folk/Americana duo Mayberry Wine and is the author of several books of fiction and poetry. Visit trulykristi.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter.