That's What Shell Said

Oh goodness friends. I thought that once Christmas was over I wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed but I’m pretty sure this is the Holiday Season that never ends. It just seemed like I have so many tasks looming over my head and not enough time to work on any of it. I was making a to do list in the morning and falling asleep with almost the same list every night. Finally, I just hit a brick wall. I wore myself out, ended up getting a nasty cold, and then spent all day sitting around with a sore, achy body,

The other day I was on the phone with my cousin, whining about how I felt like garbage and she suggested a few things. After putting some of her ideas into action, combined with my own, I am finally feeling human again. Here are a few ideas to consider if you need to overcome overwhelm.

Making healthy choices.

Roll your eyes all you want, but I can tell you that my brain and body both work a whole lot better if I watch what I am putting in my body. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, and work on eating clean. You don’t have to be perfect, but I promise when I eat fruits and veggies, I feel a lot better than when I eat processed crap.

Move your body

It’s a good idea in general to get some sort of exercise daily. And if you get bored easily, like me, you can switch it up to keep yourself interested. Right now I am working on lifting weights every other day (arms/shoulders one day, legs another) and then doing yoga on my off days. I can’t say enough good things about yoga. My body and mind feel better, and I’m going to the chiropractor less often. The FitOn app is great for yoga workouts and I love Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube. Both are great resources and wonderful for learning foundational poses.

Essential Oils

Ok, call me a hippie all you want but I really do enjoy essential oils. I don’t use them as a cure all, but I have absolutely had some great results with them. Yesterday, I slathered my neck with Stress Away oil from Young Living. My neck and shoulders were so tight and I was about at the end of my rope. Within an hour the tension was subsided and today it was gone. It could be a coincidence but honestly it had been on going weeks, so whatever it was worked for me. Also, I started diffusing 3 drops of orange oil and 3 drops of peppermint oil. I feel like this really did help with my energy and clarity.

Make a list and get it done

When all else fails, I return to the fact that I’m a list maker. I have a long to do list going on right now, but within the past few days I have finally checked a few things off. Some were easy tasks, some were pain the ass tasks. Try to choose the one thing that you need to do, but don’t want to. Once its done, it’s done and you can’t procrastinate on it anymore. AND it will make all the other tasks easier.

Self Care

Self care doesn’t have to be a spa day, but it should be something you enjoy. I like to take a bath after the kids go to bed with epsom salts. Maybe it’s only 30 minutes of alone time, but it’s alone time. Find something that recharges you and schedule it in. Stick to it because you should not break promises to yourself.

How do you deal with overwhelm?