Do Not Go With The Flow…
Be The Flow
Have you been working your way through these last 12+ months of Covid at the office or are you leaving the WFH routine behind and finding adjusting to office life more stressful than you expected? If this last year has taught us anything, it's gotta be that there is no normal anymore and nothing is predictable.
So where does that leave you? Walking on shaky ground… desperately wanting everything to go back to the way it used to be (sort of) and holding your breath until it all feels better. But you know you can't hold your breath that long. So then, exhale. Then inhale. And exhale.
Falling victim to overwhelm every day isn’t sustainable. And simply trying to ‘push through’ leads only to something much worse: burnout. Overwhelm has nothing to do with your capabilities. Instead, it comes from failing to recognize and understand the triggers that add complexity to your life. Overwhelm can make it difficult to think and act rationally, and even function in normal ways. Of course, this feeling is uncomfortable and the causes and effects can span across your personal and professional life.
When you begin to feel overwhelmed, cortisol surges through your body and leaves you overloaded with intense anxiety. At the same time, your serotonin stores, the chemical that helps your body fight off depression and anxiety, starts to deplete.
So what do you do? Change.
Change what? Change your perspective. Change a few habits. Change the way you handle your workload and boundaries. Change the way you take care of yourself. Trust in the power of small Changes.
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu
Consider the difference between a rock and a river, the river is the stronger of the two. The river follows the path that is called on it by nature. The rock is stuck in place, pushing back against the river. Over a long period of time, the river will shape the rock. It can go over, under, around, or even through the rock.
Every day when you get up, you can decide whether you want to be the rock or the river. I spent many years being the rock, trying to resist or control certain situations. I didn’t trust the unknown. Over the last few years, I’ve learned how to trust and surrender to the flow of life because that brings inner peace.
Always remember, sometimes you'll have to let go of perfectionism, sometimes you'll need to say no, and other times you'll need to let go of what others think about you. Make small changes and your feeling of overwhelm will lessen.
Let’s talk some more on a clarity call about how Change is a good thing: https://calendly.com/susanpropercoaching/compliment-clarity-call
