Often, when we are feeling overwhelmed, we want to push difficult feelings away. We try to bottle them up, or to distract ourselves with other things so we don’t have to feel.
Chances are though, that those feelings will come back and they can feel even more intense the second time around.
This exercise might be a little hard to do the first time, but it can be very beneficial for lots of people, so give it a try!
Next time you are feeling super overwhelmed, find the quietest place in your home (e.g. bedroom, bathroom, car, garden) and set a timer on your phone (between 5 and 10 mins).
For those 5-10 mins, you are going to concentrate on exactly how you are feeling. Think about all your emotions, your feelings of overwhelm, all your thoughts and worries and the bad things in life that are contributing to how you are feeling.
If you feel your mind try to drift off, pull it back in and really focus on those difficult emotions.
As soon as that timer goes off though, immediately get up, go to a different room, space or outside and move your body in some way. This could be jumping jacks, clapping your hands or even doing something like the dishes! Anything that gets you moving in some way.
This exercise is helpful because:
- It allows you to recognise and process how you are feeling
- It might help you to comes up with some solutions for your current difficulties
- It can help to take the power out your feelings and help you to feel more in control
