ANOTHER EFFECTIVE WAY TO DEAL WITH GREATER LEVELS OF OVERWHELM.
In the past I have spoken about different ways to deal with stress and OVERWHELM.
And I am sure it (overwhelm) is a topic you can also relate to.
It is not whether we will experience overwhelm or not.
It is about ‘when’, and then HOW WE DEAL WITH IT.
That is where I will take you.
I am personally feeling overwhelmed about now.
But it is not the minor daily stuff, but the “WTF do I do next?!” sort of stuff.
My Morning Rituals and Weekly Meeting with Me Inc do a great job most of the time, but if stuff builds up, or there are new factors, our ability to cope can reach overflow.
That is what today’s strategy is dealing with.
For me, the overwhelm is the result of: selling our house, building a new house (in a foreign country), doing the money juggling act, managing my current coaching clients (and new clients), helping my first-time authors finish their books, getting coaching programs organised for 2024 (because this year is whizzing by), plus finishing my book and associated parts, then publishing and launching it on 20 November. And a couple of weeks ago I made the decision to have our sausage dog of 16-years put down.
So a bunch of stuff going on, but maybe the book launch is the thing that is probably pushing me over the line, since it is a significant project.
So what to do????
Essentially I need to figure some shit out.
Organise the jigsaw pieces.
But how best to do that…??
How well can you think while someone is poking you?
The heading says it all.
Not sure about you, but I am crappers at figuring shit out while someone or something is constantly poking me to get my attention.
That also includes things beeping and buzzing at me.
Trying to take my attention away from what I need to figure out.
Messing with my access to my undivided attention and brainpower.
It’s time to RUN AWAY.
But not the fight-flight-freeze primal kinda running away.
This is the consciously choosing to relocate to the perfect ENVIRONMENT, which is highly conducive to me being in the ideal internal state, in the ideal external environment, in order to do my most highly effective, high-octane, brainpower thinking and scheming.
The ideal environment for high-quality decisions, a higher perspective, and non-distraction so I can better see all of the moving parts.
I am talking about a GETAWAY into SOLITUDE.
Free of distractions.
Including people (girlfriends, boyfriends, partners, kids, husband’s, wives, etc.), and even pets (if yours are a bit needy or hypo like ours).
I am a huge fan of when I get into overwhelm (and this is preferably done before you get to a 10/10), disappearing off the grid for a couple of days, and going somewhere that is peaceful, free of distractions, preferably in nature, and quiet.
But I go with intention.
I don’t ‘hope’ I figure things out.
I go with a plan.
And I also validate that plan (of what I need to figure out) as STEP 1 for my Getaway.
A PLAN + the ideal ENVIRONMENT = a very high probability I will FIGURE SHIT OUT.
Which leads to me feeling LESS overwhelm.
(By the time you are reading this, I will actually be on my way to the mountains of Bali, verifying my plan, and figuring shit out for a couple of days, free of distraction).
One of my cunning plans for 2024
There are a few things I love.
Teaching. Reading. Writing. Coaching.
And some things I think are essential for our fulfillment and enjoyment in life.
Learning, growth and time with self (Solitude).
So I am putting them all together, and with a colleague of mine, I am going to launch a program in 2024 called Weekend Book Club. But it is not any regular book club; reading the trending fiction best-sellers or the old classics (like Catcher In The Rye, which is SOOOO depressing), it is about reading Personal Development books designed to enhance you and your life.
The ‘weekend’ bit is about reading Personal Development books that are of the size (100-120 pages) that you can actually read (or listen to) over a WEEKEND.
And a big part of it will be doing the WEEKEND GETAWAY in ‘SOLITUDE’, so you get the best out of the experience.
So I figure that (the right) knowledge + related activities + solitude = a deeper level of integrated WISDOM = better CHOICES = better LIFE!!
I will keep you posted on this cunning plan for next year (my team of Authors have almost completed their books and the complete offering is looking super juicy).
I am very passionate about the idea that in this modern world of excessive distraction, in order to not only maintain our mental health and equinimity, but to fully express our uniqueness and thrive, we need to GETAWAY in SOLITUDE to rejuvenate our bodies, minds and spirits.
We will probably kick off Weekend Book Club in April 2024.
Stay tuned.
The Main Point
When you feel yourself getting to a 9/10 of longer-term overwhelm, it is time to take a STEP BACK.
To GETAWAY in SOLITUDE and figure shit out (while being free of distractions and daily responsibilities).
This is not only an act of SELF LOVE, but it makes you an even better person for everyone in your life.
You become more centred, grounded, calm, clear, non-reactive and at peace.
Who doesn’t want to spend more time around that sort of person?
My Parting words
The world is full of distractions.
Our lives are full of distractions.
Our nervous systems are generally over-stimulated for extended periods of time.
And if we have too many balls to juggle it is easy to POP.
What we need to do, before we get beyond 9/10 on the stress meter, is to step back.
When you are centred, grounded, connected to nature and free of distractions, you are pretty damn powerful.
But this state does not ‘just happen’.
You need to create it.
In solitude.
And in the ideal environment.
It is like creating ‘a getaway back to self’.
NOICE!!
Starting planning your next Getaway now, or in an hour, or at the latest – sometime today.
Have a getaway-organizing day and a putting-steps-in-place (for that Getaway) kinda week.
See you next week.
Take care,
Carl
