No Rest for the Weary
Flooded.
That’s the word for the feeling when you hit your limit. Know what I’m talking about? That feeling when you can’t take one more thing, when you feel like you’re about to explode. We might know it more commonly as being overwhelmed. Whatever we call it, the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual experience is the same: we need rest and we need it now.
But what if we can’t rest? I think in most situations we CAN slam the brakes on, it just may come with a cost. If we don’t work, we may not get paid (depending on whether or not we have the luxury of sick time to take). If we’re a stay home parent and we don’t give the kids as much attention as we usually do, they may make a huge mess of the house or fight more. There are, however, those seasons in life where there’s very little room to rest. I get that. I’ve been there. So here are my survival tips for getting through those times where even the smallest breaks have disappeared.
Take notifications down to a bare minimum. Turn off as many notifications on your phone and email as you possibly can. The less intrusion you have to deal with right now, the better. Consider completely shutting off your phone or staying away from technology for entire days if you can afford to.
Track your sleep. You’re going to need to maximize sleep as much as possible, so leave a little notebook by your bedside and jot down the times that you are in bed by and awake by each day. Next to that, note how many hours of sleep you got for the night and how you felt the following day. If getting more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep is impossible, then try to find a consistent day or time when you can squeeze in a nap. In the words of Interstellar’s Matthew Mcconaughey, “It’s necessary.”
As much as possible, try to avoid becoming dependent on substances. Medical sleep aids may seem like an easy fix, and alcohol or drugs may reduce the feelings associated with stress, but none of them address the core issues contributing to your feelings of being flooded or overwhelmed.
Ask for as much help as possible. Have you communicated your need for support to family members, neighbors, and friends? If there’s something specific you realize that you need, be specific in your ask. For example: “Could you drop a dinner for four off once or twice a month? That would be a huge help!”
Take five minutes or less and practice mindfulness to center yourself. Become aware of your surroundings and slowly list the following items: one thing I can see, one thing I can hear, one thing I can touch, one thing I can taste, and one thing I can smell.
Reference:
Lamothe, C. (2019). 10 ways to deal with feeling overwhelmed. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/i-cant-take-it-anymore#grounding-exercises.
Challenges/Points:
Some seasons of life make rest harder to accomplish than others.
If finding time for rest feels impossible right now, eliminate as many unnecessary elements of your schedule as possible.
Ask for as much help as you can. Neighbors, friends, and family members can all be sources of untapped help.
Questions:
Have you experienced feeling flooded before? How did you react?
Which of the coping mechanisms listed above might you be able to start using?
Is there someone close to you who may be overwhelmed right now? How can you show up for them in a greater way? Offering help before it’s even been asked for is a wonderful way to support someone.
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