Living with a sense of ease is possible. Often overwhelm is a barrier to peace and harmony. If you answer yes to these questions, read on to learn how to be free of overwhelm.

• Do you look forward to the weekend or time off so you can stop the constant barrage of stuff going on in and around you?
• Are you yearning for more quiet in your life?
• Do you shut down when things become too much?
• Are you overwhelmed with the to do list?
• Are you procrastinating because you are mentally exhausted?

Believe it or not, it is possible to live with a sense of ease despite your circumstances. If you are a bright and talented person, you are susceptible to being overwhelmed. Intensely sensitive people often struggle with the constant noise and stimulus, so much so that by early evening they report being mentally exhausted. The activity of the day took all their creative energy.

In my work with bright, smart and sensitive people, I use these key practices to help them (and me) navigate the often-insensitive world.

Here are 7 Actions to Take to be Free of Overwhelm:

Take several breaks throughout the day to just be. This means to quiet noise making, distracting things like phones for about 15 minutes. If anyone needs you that badly during your time, they should be calling 911 anyway.

Schedule these breaks in your calendar so you can be consistent. At the minimum take one 15 minutes quiet break in the morning and one in the afternoon. You will see your productivity and tolerance levels improve dramatically in a short time.

Laugh! Yes, laugh during your day. Laughing helping balance your brain and it also reduces stress. Even when you have urgent deadline and challenges, take time to laugh in your day. You can even laugh at yourself for being so serious. I often laugh at myself when I begin to get angry – my laughter stops overwhelm and then I can focus on what is most important.

Use your calendar to support your progress rather than overwhelm you. Schedule in sleep, food, your quiet breaks, and your projects in manageable time slots. Being sleep deprived causes overwhelm. Trying to manage everything in your head causes overwhelm. Write it down and follow your calendar. I am doing it as I write now.

Chunk down your projects into manageable mile markers and use your calendar for support.  Your brain can only handle so much at a time and life always happens. By taking bite sized actions, you have less risk of chocking on your work. You are not working independent of time and space. Right now, I have many things to do and by chunking it down, I can focus better and I know that everything will be addressed because each thing has their proper time and space.

Be compassionate with you and others. You are doing your best even when it doesn’t seem like it in the moment. Compassion means that you can be kind and forgiving of you and others for the great adventure of being human. Be as gentle with you in your inner world as you would care for a loved one who is suffering. You would not yell at them and tell them they are inadequate and unworthy, would you? DO NOT harm yourself with self-deprecating language.

Pull back on the throttle. You are sensitive and smart, right? You can process rapidly and you are able to take action. By being more deliberate and focused, using these skills, you actually achieve more AND you can smile at the end of the day. As you are more deliberate and moving at a more productive pace, overwhelm, if it shows up, is short lived and cannot add crazy stress to your life.

You Can Live with Ease

Intensely sensitive people are prone to experiencing overwhelm from both inner sources and outer sources. Living on purpose and making friends with your unique constellation of intensities makes for a better quality of life and fulfillment.

In my work with talented and sensitive people, the rocky road is real. I am a supportive mentor who reminds  you and is available to shine the light when overwhelm sets in and clouds your life. Being intensely sensitive and bright myself, I get it. I get you! If you are looking for personal support in this area, contact me for a complimentary conversation.

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