3 things to do when you feel overwhelmed

Hi everyone! Today's post changes the plans for the editorial calendar, but I feel it's the right time for me to share what to do when you feel overwhelmed. This week has been hectic at my place because of the renovations we're doing in the bedroom. First, we had to move out of our bedroom, the most spacious room of the apartment, and sleep with all of our stuff in the living room. I thought I would live this renovation process much better than I did. I have been waiting for this moment for 13 months! But, the first night in the living room, I had a massive anxiety attack. The morning after, I had another one. That's when I started worrying because I didn't have an anxiety attack since the last October. I was so proud of myself for doing so well with my anxiety management, and these two attacks made me K.O.

Seeing my stuff so disorganized, sleeping in the chaos, and many other factors brought me to an overwhelming point that I couldn't handle. Thankfully, I have been doing therapy consistently, and now I have much more tools to manage my anxiety than before. So, I'm here today to share what I do when I feel overwhelmed, hoping to help or inspire you. 

Just breathe

The first thing I want to address is breathing. When we are overwhelmed or live a hectic moment, the first thing we lose is the breathing pace. So, it's crucial to stop and be conscious of our breathing. You can just sit down, close your eyes, and take deep breaths. I like to inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for another five seconds. After ten times doing this, I can feel my heart rate slowing down, my body relaxing, and my anxiety releasing. I know you might think that it's so hard to breathe slowly when you are anxious, but believe me when I say it's crucial. Your breathing pace affects your body's oxygen intake, the clarity of your mind, and your ability to react to the events. The best lesson I learned during therapy is, "you can't control events, but you can control how you react to those events." 

Manual activity

After the breathing exercises, my second advice is to pick up a manual activity. You can fold your laundry, water your plants, knit something, or take a shower. Workouts are another great option! Again, it's up to you, but make sure to do something that involves your manual skills. Your mind can become a dark space, especially during anxiety attacks. But if you do something manually, your mind follows your body, and you'll feel released in a matter of minutes! The other night, for example, I folded my laundry. But I love to take long warm showers too: the hot water is my best friend to relax my skin and muscles. Also, I can treat myself with a nice body scrub or a hair mask. 

Ask for help

Last but not least, ask for help. I know it's hard; I have been the worst! But I learned that asking for help is not a weakness. Quite the opposite, it's a great act of kindness and strength. You're kind to yourself because you allow your body to lean on someone trusted. You're strong because you're conscious that sometimes teamwork is dream work. You're right if you think you're independent, strong, and invincible. But there are moments when you need someone, and recognizing those moments is an incredible strength. 

I usually go to my boyfriend and ask him to tell me something beautiful. Let me explain. I see everything as dark, sad, and insuperable when I have my anxiety attacks. So, if he helps me think about the dream travel we want to plan, the dream house we want to build or invent a story from scratch, I can shift my mind from the darkness to something beautiful. This process of imagination and distraction is so robust to my mind, and I feel calmer so quickly. You might think that I could do this by myself, but I can't do it alone when I'm in the middle of an anxiety attack. So, I need him to guide me through this process. Also, asking him for help made our bond more profound and stronger than ever. I'm so proud of us for having found a way to navigate these moments of life. I used to be ashamed of my anxiety attacks, hide them from others, and ignore them. It's the worst thing I could do to myself. But, I know that I'm an anxious person, learned how to manage it, and see that I'm not weaker or less valuable if I have an anxiety attack. 

I hope that these words can help you if you doubt yourself or if you're living a struggling moment in your life. I would love to hear what you do when you feel overwhelmed! Let me know in the comments, and let's chat about it!