It’s one of those days

Do you ever have one of those days when the world feels huge and overwhelming and suddenly you feel like a small pebble in a very large ocean and you are moving your feet in a frantic doggie paddle motion to stop yourself from drowning and as you bob up and down all you seem to be achieving is another way to increase your fatigue and of course overwhelm. This is how I feel today and I decided rather than gloss it over and pretend that this was happening to someone else I would instead take a deep breath and share the truth of the moment.

In moments like these, why don’t we just let go and allow everything to wash over us? The worst case scenario, which could actually end up being the best (yes I’m in the funk), is that we drown which would then quite literally mean that we do not have a single care in the world. The other outcome (more likely) could simply be that we realise that things are not quite so enormous and we actually have the tools to manage our way through it all and it is not a vast ocean but in fact just a small puddle.

I am suffering from a serious case of overwhelm, it crept up on me and just like that grey cloud you see in cartoons when the rain is only falling on one person I have been drenched in a torrential downpour. I can’t attribute it to any one thing in particular after all today really is no different from yesterday. Maybe that’s it! Am I simply looking for something different to happen today to lift my spirits and lighten the mood? Interesting question as that would mean me giving over the reins to my peace, joy, happiness to someone or something else and that during the time of searching for that person or thing I would be left to languish in this sea of overwhelm.

I am suffering from a serious case of overwhelm, it crept up on me and just like that grey cloud you see in cartoons when the rain is only falling on one person I have been drenched in a torrential downpour. I can’t attribute it to any one thing in particular after all today really is no different from yesterday. Maybe that’s it! Am I simply looking for something different to happen today to lift my spirits and lighten the mood? Interesting question as that would mean me giving over the reins to my peace, joy, happiness to someone or something else and that during the time of searching for that person or thing I would be left to languish in this sea of overwhelm.

I don’t like the thought of that. God gave me the gift of another day with all my faculties intact (ok I know that some people would probably hold a debate at this point) and the power to choose so I’ve decided that I’m going to look overwhelm squarely in the face and remind it who’s’ boss! (In case you are wondering, that’s me of course) and write myself a prescription to tackle this blot on the landscape.

Here it is. Maybe there is something here for you too!

• Acknowledge the fact that all is not rosy in the garden. Don’t they say you cannot be helped until you recognise that there is a problem. Social Media has led us to believe that life is a series of rosy moments when in fact it is a combination of roses and thorns. Until you acknowledge where you are how can you possibly chart a course to where you want to be?
  Know that whatever you are thinking is okay. Generally, it’s not the thoughts that are the problem. It is the fact that we allow them to take up residence without paying rent. Those thoughts then lead to feelings which govern our actions. The truth is feelings are a wonderful barometer but they should never, ever be used as a compass.
• Share your thoughts. You can do this with someone else or simply write it all down on paper and share it publically like I am or keep it private. Either way the act of bringing it out into the open lifts a heavy load from your shoulders leaving space to think and breathe again.
• Do something to interrupt your current thought pattern. Something that will take you mind, your thoughts and maybe even yourself to a different place. This will provide you with an oasis in the midst of it all to regroup so that you can begin again. I’m off to Greenwich one of my favourite spots in London. I have a theory that the ups and downs of life are simply proof positive that we are still alive and fighting the good fight. If a loved one was in hospital and attached to a heart monitor you would not want a flat line, in fact, you would be praying for the line to go up and down. I think that life in the real world is a bit like that but it is not just about ups and downs it’s more about how you conduct yourself during those times.

So for me, I’m going to get up and get on with it!