Simple Ways to Slow Down

...for when you're feeling overwhelmed and burnt out

Photo by Elsa Noblet on Unsplash

Are you feeling a little overwhelmed right now?

I sure am.

There are many things in my life I’m grateful for in this moment — at work, in business, and personally. Yet, I’m still overwhelmed. Even as I type this, I struggle not to focus on the fact that my head feels way too full; full of too many ideas, too many tasks, too many emails, deadlines, and a lot of existential dread — about war, elections, the economy, #HillaryBarbie…

Externally, distractions abound. I hear the chatter of a family sitting at the table next to me. Weezer is playing over the speakers. I’m worried my chai latte is going to get cold before I can finish drinking it (it will). I know I’m dehydrated and yet I can’t seem to drink more water throughout the day. Writing this newsletter was not on my list of to-dos for today, yet here I am spending precious time on it.

Telling folks to “slow down” at a time like this feels a bit unrealistic, super privileged, and counterintuitive.

My own nervous system and I have been tussling a lot more lately as I start to dig myself out of a 4-month financial hole of underemployment; my logical, anxiety-prone brain says I need to do more more more while the rest of my body begs for rest and spaciousness. Finding the balance between wellness and survival feels nearly impossible under capitalism.

And the wildest thing is, I actually enjoy my work! I have nearly complete control over my schedule, I work from home, and I’m doing things I love and am good at. I have it better than most and I’m still underwater. I still have trouble sleeping and taking care of myself.

Last year, I sent out a newsletter survey and discovered nearly half of you work a 9-to-5 job, a handful of you have side hustles, and the rest own their own business. I’m mindful about how I talk about boundaries and productivity in general because, even though majority of my cliental are business owners, I believe individual contributors are in desperate need of systems support too.

How do you take care of yourself when it feels like your time is not your own? How do you find pockets of compassionate rebellion at work when you’re on someone else’s payroll? When your boss is an asshole? When rent’s due?

Regardless of what work looks like for you, carving out time to slow down, to listen to your body, to take care of yourself can be wildly uncomfortable. It can feel self-indulgent, unproductive, inaccessible, and unrealistic. It can trigger feelings of scarcity and panic.

If I cancel on this person or don’t respond to an email quickly enough or make a mistake or take a mental health day, it will impact my livelihood. If I stop moving, everything is going to fall apart.

Fabulous, this effed up system is working the way it was built to.

I’m not here to tell you those feelings aren’t real. Or that your livelihood won’t be affected if you do any of the above. However, I do want to encourage you to challenge those anxieties with some rebellious rest.

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Here are some simple ways you can claim your right to slow down when you’re feeling stuck in a cycle of overwhelm:

• Reschedule one meeting and/or claim a meeting-free day.

• Identify one unrealistic deadline and ask for an extension, or communicate that you need a little extra time.

• Say “no” to one optional event or gathering that you don’t want to attend or are too tired to participate in.

• Allow for at least 30 minutes of wiggle room/margin in between meetings.

• Make an effort not to offer inconvenient times when scheduling meetings or get-togethers; offer what you’re comfortable with first and see if that works for the other person.

• Make time for at least a 15-minute break during the workday.

• Say “yes” to one event or activity you know would be rejuvenating for you, even if it doesn’t seem “productive” or necessary.

• Go for a 10-minute walk (outside or around the house) when you’re feeling maxed out or overwhelmed.

• Try not to make hard-and-fast promises like “I’ll get that to you first-thing tomorrow!” (P.S. I am totally guilty of this!) Instead, you can say something like, “Let me take a look at my workload and I’ll get back to you about a reasonable deadline.” or “When is the earliest you’d need to receive this, so I know how to prioritize my tasks?”

• Write out all of the thoughts, ideas, and worries inside of your head so you can clear some space in there (or make them into a newsletter like I just did lol).

Know that you are not alone in feeling the urgent, scarce, and maxed-out energy right now. If I could offer you (and myself) any advice, it would be to go easy on yourself. You’re doing far better than you think you are.

Peace, love and workflows,

Andrea

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P.S. I’m going to share this resource again, in case you’re new around here and missed it the first time. Check out my Emotional Regulation Toolkit. I added the suggestions above so you can easily access your Rebellious Rest Menu.

Here’s the original post that explains how it works:

Emotional regulation for my introverted ghost 👻

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