HOW TO OVERCOME OVERWHELM

3 Ways To Beat The Heat & Control The Burn

Guest Blog Post By Jaime Boots

Keeping up with Social Media (and life in general) can seem overwhelming these days. Each time we move in the direction of solution “BOOM” we are hit with another blow that seems to knock out any momentum gained. It can be overpowering but what if you believed that you could subdue the storm?

What if you realized you could eliminate its control over your life?

What if you were certain that you could be victorious and take back what’s yours?

What if you knew how to stop feeding the fire and let it fizzle, wither, and die… never to reduce your power in such a way again?

Here’s a rundown of 3 ways to find the function that your overwhelm buried.

(1) Let some of it burn

If there’s a fire ripping through your life, you can use it to your advantage and let it burn some of the ideas/tasks/obligations/chores/decisions to be cleansed out of your life. Are you depleting yourself? Trying to be too much to too many people? This leads to feeling like a crazy person and not actually doing the majority of the stuff you want to do. And for some reason the stuff that you ARE doing is the junk you could give a rip about. What needs to be let go? (I am not saying that you have to let it go forever… let’s not be dramatic.) Take a look at all of “the everything” and see what can be eliminated. I had to let go of trying to be everyone’s savior all the time. I decided to stop being an enabler and it freed up all sorts of time and energy!

Social Media Relevance: Instead of trying to do all of the platforms, actually DO a few of them well. Everyday I hear about a new way to socialize online, and that can be crazy making. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Periscope, Blab, YouTube, Blogs, Email lists, yada, yada, yada. Choose 3 and do those well. Once you are making those happen efficiently then add on a new one if you WANT to… no more “shoulds”.

(2) Automate

I would bet money there are some decisions in your life that you could automate freeing up thinking power and drive that could be better used on the “important” things in life. When I lived in Southern California I wore virtually the same thing every single day (jeans, tank top, sandals.) I loved having that decision made for me. I could use my brain to focus on other ideas instead. My cousin and I would go out to eat together. We got sick of the “Where do you wanna go? I don’t know where do you wanna go?” game and made a deal saying if neither of us has an idea of a place to go then we will go to the Cafe on center street. Problem solved. No more wasted energy. Where can you do this in your life? Perhaps you can plan out your meals for the week on Sunday. Maybe you have specific days outlined for different tasks. You probably need to change your default response to people from, “Yes” to “I’ll get back to you by tomorrow” to ensure that you actually have room in your sanity for that new thing being requested of you.

Social Media Relevance: Develop a system. After choosing the platforms you are going to focus on, make a plan for yourself. When are you going to post and where? What types of items are you going to blast out to your various audiences? Have you created time/space to engage with people rather than pitching and ditching? Make a plan and stick with it (allow it to evolve if needed) and keep on it. This will feel WAY more productive than mindlessly scrolling the various feeds and suddenly 2 hours has passed and you’re like, “What the hell did I just do for 2 hours?” If you find yourself getting lost in the status updates and links and articles, set a timer. When it goes off, peel your eyes away from the screen. Decisions you make ahead of time can save you massive amounts of energy wasted in overwhelm.

(3) Save the drama

Sometimes, as people, we can be a tad dramatic. “If I don’t do this then what will they do?” “If I don’t do it then no one will!” “How will it look if I do A but not B?” “I have to be all the things to all the people all the time!” “Look how important I am because I am so busy that I’ve turned batty!” Taking the significance out of the task will leave room to breathe. How would you advise a loved one in your situation? Would you reprimand them like you do to yourself in your mind? I’m thinking you would be compassionate and understanding. And with kindness I request for you to take a deep breath and as you exhale, let go of the seriousness.

Social Media Relevance: You’ve chosen your platforms. You’ve created a system. Now do as requested. Take a deep breath. Trust that you are going to see the posts that you need to see. You will be engaging with the people you need to be engaging with. You will be posting at times when your ideal audience will be able to see it and use it. And your consistency is showing them your dedication to helping them. You didn’t comment soon enough on that post from 6 hours earlier? Take a deep breath and as you exhale, let go of the seriousness. You’ll get the opportunity to serve who you need to and you will actually have the energy, time, and sanity to be of a real value to this world.

I use each of these on an almost daily basis. With practice it has become much easier to control the burn. Rather then running around like a crazy person (or sitting and staring because I just can’t anymore) I can be true to myself in my productive life. I hope you’ll join me, because it’s real and it’s spectacular.

BONUS: Click here for a 5 minute exercise to punch overwhelm in the face.

Meet Jaime Boots

Jaime is a transformational coach for women who are facing consumption by their overwhelm. She can see YOU, the real you, through the junk. She’ll grab you by the hand, and pull you out. All you have to do is reach for her. Streamline your life so that it works FOR you (not against you.) Jaime wants to be at your side bearing some of the burden as you build a life you recognize because it’s made of your dreams.

Jaime is passionate about people living based on their own personal values. She is saddened to see anyone who is wasting away in a norm they ascribe to but do not care for. Jaime leaves the “shoulds” out of it. She loves to see women own their power and to use it to shape the world in magnificent ways.

Jaime knows that with kindness, moxie, and a solid base the women of this world are unstoppable. She wishes to make this dream a reality one woman at a time through her coaching practice.

There are no templates, just people in Jaime’s approach to her clients. While she does have packages, she customizes them to the needs of each woman because she believes people should only pay for what they need/want and nothing more.

If you are overwhelmed and feel like you are drowning in your own life. Or if you have a decision that is looming and driving you nuts. Or perhaps you’ve recently made a choice and you find yourself in a state of “Now what?” Jaime is a solid alternative to feeling like you are taking crazy pills.