Last week I had a day where I felt pretty overwhelmed.
I was completely flooded with requests, appointments, and demands on my time on both the home and work front.
I couldn’t stop my mind was spinning and reeling, and I was exhausted.
I was aching for some downtime and white space in my calendar.
What’s most important I’ve found, is not that I get into that state, ’cause it’s bound to happen, but rather, how long I stay there. I call this my ‘recovery time.’ Here’s how I decided to minimize my recovery time.
- Phone a friend – well in this case it was text a friend. It’s important to rely on the people who are your safe havens even if just to vent for a few minutes or share a laugh. (thanks girl, I know you’re reading this)
- Help a friend – I have a friend who needed assistance during a really big life change and I was happy to help. But wait, you said you were feeling overwhelmed (is that what you were just thinking?). Yes, you have a point, HOWEVER, sometimes what can help slow us down is offering our help to someone else in need.
- Get professional help – Yes, I do believe we can all benefit from some type of professional help. I enlist a business coach who also helps me with navigating the bigger picture of my world, since what’s happening in my life impacts my business. I fortunately had a session scheduled with her last week and it was just what I needed to regroup and prioritize.
- Make cookies (pictured above)- Ok, so you really don’t have to make cookies, but the point is to do something that is joyful. My coach challenged me to complete this sentence. “When I have more free time I will……” I enjoy cooking and baking and so I made the decision to completely unplug and bake. (BTW these were delicious! I got the recipe from one of my favorite YouTubers Sadia at Pick Up Limes; She’s got delicious vegan recipes, and while I’m not a vegan I do like experimenting with vegan options.)
- Use your tools – My greatest tool to shift my mood, other than the people who support me, are my essential oils. I chose PEACE and Frankincense which I applied regularly on my heart, back of neck and wrist creases. Then I put Cedarwood, combined with our new Copaiba, Blue Tansy in my diffuser. By inhaling relaxing scents the oil goes right into our limbic system, where our emotions reside. PURE essential oils can make an IMMEDIATE change in your mood.
The result? It worked!
My recovery time was very fast and I was feeling calm, helping a friend AND enjoying a healthy cookie. Can’t beat that.