Dear Readers,
This week has been a challenge for me. My daughter, just two months old, hasn’t been gaining weight like the doctors would like, so we’ve been put on a pretty rigorous feeding schedule. It seems to be working though as her apatite seems to have spiked and now she feeds for 20+ minutes every hour.
It’s been overwhelming, but it has provided me with an opportunity to present you all with five methods to help in moments when you’re overwhelmed.
There are two breathing techniques I recommend in difficult times, generally used in conjunction.
Quick-slow: Breath in fully in under 3 seconds. Fill your lungs to capacity and then hold for a second before releasing the air slowly, ideally over an 8-second span. This breath floods your brain with oxygen and provides you with a moment of clarity so that you can better determine your next step
Slow-quick: Breathe in slowly, a full breath over 8 seconds. Release the breath quickly, less than 3 seconds. This breathe provides a strong sense of relief and allows your body to relax. If you want to make it even more effective, think about what you want to release before you breathe out and then imagine your worries leaving with the breath.
Never underestimate the power of tears. And while this may be advice women tend to consider more than men, it’s a recommendation I make for both genders. Something about crying allows your body to relax and regenerate. Tears tend to form at the moment that tension leaves the body. Don’t judge yourself for it, and you don’t have to explain to anyone else if you don’t want to. Let the tears fall and you will feel better.
Meditation is a wonderful way to bring you back to the center. And while I recommend a regular meditation practice, individual sessions can provide relief as well.
Meditation doesn’t need to be complicated; you can merely sit in silence and listen to the world around you, or even count your breath. Meditation is about turning off your thoughts for a moment so that you can find the peace that underlies all of life. Thank the thoughts that appear, allow them to leave uncontested, and soon enough you will breathe easier knowing that nothing is really as bad as it seems in the moment.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stop planning for tomorrow and focus on today. I can certainly say that the thought of having to continue this rigorous feeding for the next several months caused me a great deal of distress. And while it’s unlikely that I will have to be quite so regimented in months to come, the fear of that challenge still causes issues. Sometimes even thinking about the rest of the day can be overwhelming so, if you have to, just focus on right now. Everything is easier in the moment, you’re no longer freaking out about how you’re supposed to get it done, and instead, you’re just doing it.
When you find yourself thinking about a challenge that hasn’t yet arrived, thank the thought and release it by saying “I’ll think about that later”.
While highly effective, this method can be a bit of a challenge as it requires a dedicated period of time and thought. You have to sit down and think about the things that make your life worth living, the things that you enjoy the most, and about the surprises that shifted your life in a positive direction.
Gratitude is a powerful thing; it can shift your perspective in a positive direction in very little time. Focus on the good often enough and you’ll find yourself living in those joyful moments more often than not.
Each of these steps can be powerful and life-changing. Often you will find that a combination of multiple methods works better than just one, but feel free to play around and experiment to figure out what works best for you.
I wish you good luck and happy lives.
~ Lexis
Alexis Rae Baker writes from her home in Olympia. Write to her at Lexis@theJOLTnews.com
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