Deflating the Overwhelm Mountain

"Climate Change Anxiety" - it's a thing. Go figure. The problem is soooo big and we are soooo small and... people feel anxiety around that. It's natural. And it's not just with climate change. Right now... there's Covid19 anxiety!

There are many times when Life throws a LOT at us and overwhelm can show up and incapacitate us. Job issues, health issues, money issues, vehicle issues, house issues, relationship issues... the list goes on... so many areas in which things can go sideways and we find ourselves facing challenging situations.

It's understandable that we will feel overwhelmed when the lottery of life deals us a crappy hand. But I'm beginning to think that overwhelm really takes off when we look at the whole mountain instead of the next step up the mountain. On top of that, the mountain is shrouded in fog and I have no idea how far it is, what it looks like, etc.

Uncertainty = Overwhelm too!

If I think about the entirety of the challenges life has thrown at me in the last few months/years... it's completely natural for me to start freaking out. It's soooo big!!! There's sooo much!! And it all seems insurmountable. But I have to keep reminding myself that there's a work-around to this... just focus on the next step. What's the next small step I can take in climbing this mountain? Just one step.

Coincidentally, that's one of the messages in the movie, Frozen 2, which we watched a few weeks ago. While it's not as good as Frozen 1, at least not to our eyes... the sequel did have some good messages.

Frozen II - Anna buried in overwhelm

At one point in the film, Anna has collapsed under a mountain of grief. Olaf the Snowman has disintegrated, Sven is missing and Anna's sister, Elsa, is apparently dead. On top of that, the baton for now saving the world has passed to Anna. She is all alone and... it all seems impossible. But Anna is a quick study and slowly rises as she sings... "just do the next right thing... take a step... step again".

It's a good message... not just for kids... but for adults as well. I've lived through periods in my life in which everything went swimmingly and I didn't really experience overwhelm. The last few years, however have been a different story. I'm holding this time as a period of learning... that life is teaching me a very important lesson. How to keep moving forward even when things aren't going so swimmingly. Getting derailed and wailing that "it's all too much" doesn't solve anything. Running to comfort food (chocolate!!!) doesn't solve anything either. It's one step at a time... and sometimes we have a misstep (like bacon-wrapped scallops at The Keg)... but it's just a reminder to get back on track.

Whether it's a flooded basement, a messed up perimeter drain, a yard that now looks like the Somme, tax deadlines approaching, the challenges of a new eating plan, disruptive kitchen renos, upcoming guests who might end up sleeping on air beds, stuck at home with covid19 ravaging the world... all of it could, and has, generated overwhelm in me. Not to mention the regular minutiae of life like grocery shopping, errands, vehicle repairs, bills, cleaning toilets, laundry, etc.

There's no question... it HAS been a lot... and having a wailing fit didn't make any of it go away. Nor did it make me feel less overwhelmed. When I try and look ahead too far, I can feel the freak out coming, "It's TOO MUCH!" And that's a reminder to scale it back, to focus on what's in front of me and just do the next right thing. Take the next small step. That's it.

I have to admit... breaking up with my To-Do List and shifting to a calendar-based system has definitely helped. I can clearly see that there are only so many hours in the day... can see what are the most urgent upcoming events and focus my energy on tackling those. Because time and energy are the two key factors here, both in limited supply. I need to allocate them very judiciously. And... ensure that I take time each day to recharge my energy - walking, resting, reading. Much as I might like to think I am the Energizer Bunny... my rechargeable battery is getting old and needs more frequent recharging!

So... it's not just the next thing... it's the "next right thing". What is the next right thing, the next step for me, given the time and energy constraints and everything that needs to get done. Identify and Engage.