Many people in the US are functioning constantly with a feeling of overwhelm. I witness it regularly in my clients. I observe it in faces at the grocery store. I hear it in conversations with my friends. I feel it, myself. Nightly news and social media tell us in so many ways that the world is “going to hell in a hand basket.”
We are already holding a high level of stress. When one more thing happens such as an alarming news story, even small, that stress can shoot up. An upset with a partner can drive it up further. Our already-tired adrenals move into action.
These issues may interfere with our ability to sleep soundly. Our moods can fluctuate. We may feel confused or angry or sad without having a specific reason to which we can point. We may find ourselves self-medicating with food, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and/or drugs to mask the pain.
We become habituated to overwhelm. We may cease to recognize it. This causes us to accept the high levels of stress our bodies are valiantly trying to cope with. The resultant struggle causes our bodies to begin to break down in a variety of ways. Think of heart, adrenals, lungs, liver, gall bladder, stomach, and intestines issues.
What triggers you? Don’t know? Become a self-reflective detective. Observe what activates your stress response. Think of news that stimulates anger or fear or anxiety in you. For me, there are many things. Reading of social injustice on Facebook tends to create angry little shock waves in me. Hearing about hostile acts around the world and in my city raises my blood pressure. Watching the political circus shoots steam out my ears.
A couple of the ways to manage your stress is through yoga and meditation. A good one is to come in and clear your stuff with me. But, really, you have the ability to bring your stress down in the moment of impact with tapping. i.e. “Even though this really upsets me…”
“Oh,” but you say, “I can’t do that at the office when my co-worker is spitting out offensive political statements.”
Yes, you can. You can step down the hall to the bathroom. Or, you can just tap on the side of your hand under your desk. You can rub the inner wrist point (a secondary point we don’t use too often, but is effective, nevertheless). You can repeat the statements to yourself. While silent statements aren’t as powerful, they still work. Then, when you get home, you can tap a couple of rounds.
Don’t stuff your overwhelm. You are too valuable. I’ve written two tapping protocols to help you reduce stress and overwhelm. As usual, you can change the statements to more closely fit your situation. To access two overwhelm scripts, go here.
As usual, if you’d like help, I would be happy to work with you.
512-444-9777 or Dr.Robin@CompassionateClearing.com