Tactical Help in Overcoming Overwhelm as an Empath (part 2)

I’m getting married one week from tomorrow! Holy wow. Are you married? If so, I’d love to hear what your experience of planning your wedding was like (because gosh, has it been A LOT).

I was chatting with a client yesterday and shared that I had no idea how loaded the statement “wedding planning” really was. She totally got it as she had planned her own wedding and shared that “some things you just don’t understand until you experience them.”

That really resonated for me.

Then, I shared that while I had been overwhelmed, I had reached a place of surrender around the planning. And coincidentally, I found almost simultaneously solutions for some breakdowns I’d been experiencing with vendors and communication gaps.

Which brings me to last week’s blog about overcoming overwhelm and how timely and relevant it was for so many of you. I highly recommend you go check it out first if you haven’t read it and overwhelm is a thing for you.

I realized in hindsight that there are some additional practices in addition to the three I shared last week about overcoming overwhelm for empaths.

This week, I want to share two additional practices that are more action-oriented and have been total game changers for me in this season of overwhelm. And honestly, I imagine you may find them even more enjoyable and joy-producing than the ones I previously suggested!

Create a distinct experience for yourself

I know this sounds a bit meta, but stick with me for a moment.

Now I also know the brides and brides-to-be will really relate with this story. I was reflecting on my experience of wedding planning earlier this week and realized something pretty profound for myself…

I realized I wasn’t having fun.

That hit like a dead weight. I was planning something I’d been dreaming about since first meeting my fiance. I was planning a celebration. And I was planning something that’s intended to be a life milestone and joyful. I wasn’t feeling any of it…

Last week, I talked about the idea of choice and the idea that we don’t need to be owned by our feelings. We always have the opportunity to change our experience, so I did.

Right then and there, I decided to shift my experience of this entire thing. I took out my journal and reflected on what would infuse more joy and fun into this experience?

And then I paused and listened….

Ultimately, I texted about a dozen of our wedding guests who are adventurous like me and invited them to join me on the morning of our wedding for a polar plunge. I told them to meet me at the beach at 8am and we’d bring Dunkin’ and the munchkins!

Just like that, I was reconnected with my sense of excitement and appreciation for all these glorious humans I adore. I’ve been gleeful about it ever since.

Don’t underestimate the power of creating space for your intuition. And don’t underestimate the invaluable power of creating a different experience for yourself. We essentially experience all aspects of our lives, work and relationships through the filters we choose to relate to them through. If you don’t like what you see, you always have the opportunity to change your vantage point or the lens.

Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself “what’s the distinct experience of this (fill in the blank with whatever you’re feeling overwhelmed or disempowered about) that I’m committed to having?

And then, “How can I create this new experience for myself?”

Ask for support

In the moment of feeling overwhelmed, asking for support can often feel pretty inaccessible.

If you’re not practiced in asking for support, it might feel even more so…

In my experience, we often need to do some of the emotional release practices I offered last week before we get clear on what we need. Once we do, making specific requests for support can be extremely effective. It helps with removing the content of what’s causing your overwhelm out of your head and off of your list. It also helps with realizing you’re not alone in dealing with it, an experience I frequently hear clients share.

Have you ever been feeling overwhelmed or stressed and your partner or best friend asks “how can I help or what do you need?” And your knee jerk response is “I don’t know.” Consider there’s simply some big feelings to feel or some venting to do first, so you can get a bit more tactical about overcoming overwhelm.Once you do, ask yourself “what are 1-3 requests for support you can make right now?”

If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, I’d love to hear from you. I really enjoyed writing these two posts on overcoming overwhelm, it occurs like a season of life so many of us are experiencing right now. I’m sending you deep breaths and moments of joy. Next week, I’ll be off reveling in my wedding. We’ll also be celebrating with you by sharing some of the first elements of our NEW LOOK for Unbounded Potential™! Stay tuned for that and thank you for being a part of my community. I’m deeply grateful you’re here.

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Catherine is a Master Certified Coach and bestselling author of Belonging: Overcome Your Inner Critic and Reclaim Your Joy.