{"id":4229,"date":"2020-11-16T09:50:41","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T09:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wakinguprevolution.com\/?p=4229"},"modified":"2020-11-16T09:50:41","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T09:50:41","slug":"practical-tools-for-overwhelm-and-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tatianacameron.com\/dev\/practical-tools-for-overwhelm-and-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical Tools for Overwhelm and Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.98″ custom_padding=”7px|0px|20px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”27px|0px|0|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.19.13″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.13″ text_font_size=”18px” link_option_url_new_window=”on”]<\/p>\n

I hope you are staying healthy, calm, and\u00a0hopeful<\/strong><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The days are getting shorter and colder. My garden is bare. The tree in front of my window only has a few leaves on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the time of year when I have to ramp up practicing gratitude and focus my mind on celebrating change, rather than grieving that my favorite seasons (spring, summer, and fall) are over.<\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t help that last Saturday marks three years of my husband Matthew\u2019s passing.<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of everything, it\u2019s 2020. Our dear, challenging, precious 2020\u2026\u00a0<\/span>\ud83d\ude01<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you all have your own challenges on top of our collective ones.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is so much uncertainty and stress in our lives (pandemic, unemployment, politics\u2026).<\/span><\/p>\n

I know many of you will email me with responses about how your faith keeps you calm, grounded, and in a good place.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s great! But even with my strong faith, I used to struggle with anxiety and overwhelm.<\/span><\/p>\n

A year like 2020 would turn my stomach into a prune from all the stress. I needed practical tools that would turn my faith into a moment-to-moment practice of mindful, joyful, and peaceful living.<\/span><\/p>\n

So if you are someone\u00a0who, like me, needs a bit of extra support, read on \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

Story<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

First, a short story:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

My son Blais is doing online school again, as his high school shut down due to too many COVID cases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this week he got very stressed out. The amount of work listed on his dashboard felt overwhelming.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>He came to me to talk it through because that always helps him to gain perspective, and gives him a chance to take a few deep breaths (He knows this will be my first recommendation.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Also, I\u2019m the family coach\u00a0<\/span>\ud83d\ude01\u00a0\u00a0)<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Later that evening, he rushed down the stairs, cheeks red, hair messy, sighing a big sigh of relief, saying: \u201cI feel so good! I am completely caught up!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>The next morning, he rushed to me again. \u201cThere are so many assignments up again. And I just worked so hard to get the other ones done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to life,\u201d I said.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As soon as we tackle some big challenge and get it all done, something else comes up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Life\u2019s assignments don’t happen on weekends in between workdays, and holidays to take a break from. (If you’re a parent, you know this very well\u00a0<\/span>\ud83d\ude09\u00a0)<\/span><\/p>\n

Pandemics also don\u2019t give us a break and paying bills is a thing whether we are exhausted or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we want to eat healthily then grocery shopping, cooking, and then cleaning the kitchen only to start all over again, doesn\u2019t just stop at some point.<\/span><\/p>\n

As soon as we go through an emotional storm and find the calm, something else challenges us to stretch our \u2018calming\u2019 muscles \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So how do we keep going through overwhelming, stressful, and uncertain times?<\/span><\/p>\n

With support, hope, and tools.<\/strong>\u00a0And faith, which encompasses all three \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is how…<\/span><\/p>\n

Coaching<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Blais has me as his\u00a0support<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>system.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m the person who loves him no matter what, the parent who provides a sense of stability, someone who listens (without judgment), and a coach (who reminds him to take deep breaths and helps him find solutions).<\/span><\/p>\n

I find support in a few trusted individuals whom I know to love me unconditionally. I also have my book study groups and the writers group with whom I meet regularly on Zoom.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been meeting since March and the connection I experience with people in these groups has helped me to not feel lonely and overwhelmed and to know that I\u2019m not the only one who\u2019s struggling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc96\u00a0 Your turn<\/strong>\u00a0(grab a notebook and write your answers and reflections)<\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n
      \n
    • Who do you have as your support? (If your answer is \u201cGod\u201d then please add how God shows up in your life – through people :))<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Hope\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>is a mindset that helps us to focus on a positive outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Sometimes when we get too overwhelmed, stressed out, or anxious, we can \u2018lose hope.\u2019 Hopefully we never truly lose hope, only let go of it for a bit\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

      Blais has me to assure him that Thanksgiving break is coming, as well as the winter holidays, so he will have a chance to clear all of the assignments from his dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

      For me, hope is in knowing that the Peace and Joy I desire (as an outcome of handling my fears, stress, despair, overwhelm) are always there. I just have to breathe and Be Still (and know that Grace and Love and God fill my life no matter what) to experience Peace. Also, gratitude for the smallest things (and accomplishments) can produce a sense of joy within my heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \ud83d\udc96\u00a0 Your turn<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • \n
          \n
        • Who is your person from whom you can \u2018borrow\u2019 hope when you feel down, or gloomy?<\/span><\/li>\n
        • What is the outcome of 2020 that you hope for?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Blais\u2019\u00a0tools\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>were planning and applying self-discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n

          I love the morning rituals that help me to ground my day in gratitude, awareness, peace, hope, and faith. Exercising is a tool that helps my body reduce stress hormones and produce endorphins.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Plus, I sleep better when I exercise and sleep helps with stress too. Playing (unstructured, without an agenda or\u00a0goal) is also an incredible tool we often forget about.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \ud83d\udc96\u00a0 Your turn<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          • \n
              \n
            • What are your favorite tools in handling overwhelm, anxiety, and stress?<\/span><\/li>\n
            • How do you play? \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Music<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

              My friend Kim Belew, who\u2019s been facilitating our book study, shared this song in one of our Zoom sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

              We have been discussing how \u201cNothing\u201d and \u201cEverything\u201d is that place of peace, joy, love, and hope. It’s the place where we are okay with nothing grandiose taking place, and where that absence\u00a0<\/em>of something grandiose reminds us that\u00a0each moment of our lives is soaked with everything good, sacred, divine\u00a0<\/strong>\ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

              Have a listen<\/a> (with an open mind).<\/span><\/p>\n