Do you remember (and maybe I’m the only one old enough to remember this) on a
Saved By The Bell episode when Jessie was so overwhelmed with all the things she just broke out into song? She started singing the Pointer Sisters song “I’m So Excited”.
Yes, you just read Pointer Sisters. You didn’t think you’d be thinking about that group today, did ya?
But weren’t they so good? My mom used to blast Neutron Dance on Saturdays when cleaning had to be done. She loved that song, but she sure ruined it for the rest of us.
My cleaning songs would be “I need a Hero” and “I’m drunk and I don’t want to go home”.
You can tell I love cleaning, right?
But going back to Jessie and her sudden outburst of “I’m So Excited” because she was spinning out of control with all the things that were on her plate and she didn’t know what to do or how she was going to get it all done.
It was a deep moment, y’all.
My husband and I still to this day burst out in that song if we are feeling overwhelmed ourselves. It helps sometimes.
Jessie was a wise one. Or, maybe the Pointer Sisters were?
We will thank them both…how about that?
But besides bursting out into song when we feel overwhelmed what else is there to do to help put our minds and bodies at ease? Overwhelm is not a fun feeling and it rarely ever helps us do what we need to do. A lot of times the overwhelm paralyzes us because we don’t know where to even begin and so we get nothing done which makes us feel even worse!
So let’s add shame to our overwhelm, shall we?
No let’s not…not today y’all!
What can we actually do to help ourselves when we start to think we are so overwhelmed that we want to go blast some Pointer Sisters?
Let’s do this.
Here are Three Easy Ways to Beat the Overwhelm Feeling: (Cue the music please)
- Do A Brain Dump
Get it all down on paper that you think needs to be done today. It needs to get out of your head and down on paper. Your brain is a better processor than a storage unit so get it all out!
2.Get Your Thoughts Straight
If we keep saying we are overwhelmed that will keep our brain looking for ways to prove that right. You will stay feeling overwhelmed. Instead, these two thoughts help me start to get out of overwhelm fast:
I know exactly what to do today.
There is no hurry.
These two thoughts help my brain slow down and focus on what I need to do. You know what to do today, so tell your brain that fact too! It will agree with you once you tell it. I always feel so much better when I am the boss of my brain. It can go crazy if I let it – so I have to tell it thoughts that serve me rather than thoughts that keep me in a tizzy!
Nobody got time for a tizzy!
So slow the brain down, tell it what to think instead of having default thinking, and tell it there is no hurry. It will all get done when it needs to get done. There is no hurry, friend!
3. Pick the Top 3 Things
Okay here’s where the magic happens. You’ve done your brain dump and you’ve done your thought work, right? So, look at your brain dump and decide on the top three things for today that must get done. Remember, you know exactly what needs to be done today so whatever you decide is right. Don’t question yourself either…decide and carry on. Pick the top three things and go on with your bad self. You got this! The most important thing once a decision is made is the action after the decision is made.
Isn’t this better that belting out I’m so Excited and continuing to be overwhelmed? Don’t be like Jessie…you know better than that, right? Overwhelm is just a thought spinning out of control. If we let it, it will keep us from doing the things we really need to get accomplished.
So the next time you have that overwhelmed feeling creeping up on you. Stop, take notice of your thoughts, and then start to tell your brain you are in charge of how all this goes down.
Decide what is to be done and then the only decision left to make is what music will you play while you get all the things done?
