I am all about the positivity over here at Leaf Lane Studio and, 99.9% of the time, I am able to wake up with a smile on my face and mooch along my day with ‘good vibes’, unstoppable energy and ideas a plenty, but recently I have been suffering from major overwhelm.

From the chats I’ve been having on various social platforms, many of us are feeling the same way too; a common theme is a sense of feeling lost, highly sensitive and somewhat uninspired. I think the current way of the world is impacting so many of us and my humble opinion is that it has crept into the subconscious for many of us, without our knowledge (and certainly without our permission!).

I spend a lot of time, albeit online, chatting with amazing women in business, who are killing it! They are hard working, prioritise their mindset and actively look after their mental health, yet they, we, are all still feeling the same way: mentally exhausted, overwhelmed and unsure.  I think the first thing we all need to do (and I am telling myself this as much as I am telling you) is remember that it is okay to feel this way. We have had a couple of years of total madness and it is normal to feel tired and emotional drained. For some of us that feeling came early, and for others it has just appeared. I feel like small things have pushed us over the edge (hi there crazy-high petrol/food prices!) and I, like the rest of us, am having to put things in place to make sure I remain mentally at peace.

I was chatting to one of my best friends, Peta, who has her own business, Nourishing Soulfully, where she specialises in kindness and intuitive eating coaching (she is so incredible, please check her out if you are feeling like you need some tips about self-kindness; you won’t find a more gentle human being out there). We were talking about the madness we’re all experiencing right now, and she reminded me, as she always does, that we need to give ourselves grace and space to lean into our feelings and not be quick to judge or punish ourselves for the way we feel in any given moment. She is so wonderful at reminding me that we are human beings, who ebb and flow in emotions all the time. I think life can be so fast paced that we forget we are allowed to react to things, so when we suddenly feel overwhelmed we think we have done something wrong. Isn’t that crazy?

This is still something I have to work on, because I give myself very little room for ‘those’ kind of days, so I am working on noticing emotions, overwhelm and other feelings as they bubble up and trying to create a bit of a tool kit to help me when I need it.

Today I wanted to share with you some of the things I do to help me when I am suffering with overwhelm and have put together my top 5 things that help distract me from the ‘busy’ head it brings with it. Let’s hop right on in!

ONE: GET IT ALL OUT ON PAPER
I actually did this exercise last night, because I just felt so ‘busy’ in my mind that I couldn’t get clear on just one thing. Get a big sheet of paper or a notebook, or if you are more digitally minded, open up your Google docs, and just start clearing your mind. Don’t worry about the order of things or the whys and what’s, just get it out; the good, the bad and the ugly! This is such a good way of getting to the core of your worries, or at the very least just making a list of things that you can pop on your wall and look at when you feel like you don’t know what to do. More on to-do lists in a bit.

TWO: STEP AWAY FROM THE NOISE
Remove ‘noise’ and distractions from things that can quickly shift your opinion to the negative. For me, this could be seeing a sad video on TikTok or a triggering Instagram post, but for you this could be something completely different. It is so easy to just pick up our phones when we are feeling like we need a distraction because it is easy, but can actually be so much more damaging. One thing I like to do is download a really uplifting podcast, pop my headphones in and then lose myself in sketching or just lay and close my eyes. Nine times out of ten I will fall asleep, but the healing properties of sleep are the best thing for when you are feeling stressed out, so I would add that to this list anyway! If you want something to doodle whilst listening to a podcast or audio-book I may have just the thing for you! I drew a little colouring sheet the other week, which you can get for free! All you need is a printer and anything to colour with (or just get a biro and make textured patterns; it’s more about the process and mindfulness than what the end result looks like). If you’d like to give it a try you can download it here.

THREE: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF NATURE
There are so many ways you can spend time in nature; walks are obviously amazing for movement and mental health, but if you have space to grow some plants or vegetable you can always spend some time nurturing those and lose yourself in the process of growing new things. If you don’t have any outdoor space maybe start with house plants! That is something I started with (in a major way!) during the first lock-down. I was lucky to be sent some cuttings from a friend, but also got obsessed with looking on places, like Etsy, at cuttings of the most gorgeous plants. It becomes quite the hobby once you start! My next big project is the back garden, so that is definitely going to be a distraction and a half, and I can’t wait. The other thing I love doing is looking after the birds. There are feeders and water for them on both sides of the house, and watching the coming and going of those little pals is the most relaxing thing! So, whether it is swapping cuttings of plants to grow or a simple walk in a park, nature is one of my best healers (throw in that nap I mentioned earlier and I am pretty much restored!).

FOUR: UNDERSTANDING YOUR CAPACITY
This is such an important one, because it goes without saying that you won’t always have the same amount of ‘fuel in your tank’ each day. Obviously we all have work to do and don’t often have the opportunity to step back, but changing how we view our to-do lists can help a lot. This is going to sound like an intentional product plug, but this product was created because I get overwhelmed and because I have suffered with my mental health for over 25 years, so I feel like I know what can help and, for me, this product truly helps. I am talking about my ‘Simplified To-Do List’, which has two spaces for tasks plus a space for ‘something nice I can do next’, which is the key!

I mentioned in an Instagram post this week that I am a proper ‘long list person’. I love a list, I really do, but not on days where all I want to do is put my head in my hands and cry with overwhelm! But I still have tasks to do (enter the simple to-do list); I will write one important task that is my ‘must do’ for the day, maybe one smaller one and then something really lovely I can do next, like making a cup of tea and taking it outside or reading for half and hour. I highly recommend having one of these little lists in your drawer for these days as it will really help you, I promise. I have also had feedback from customers who have purchased one for their sons/daughters who are studying and find that it helps them focus on one thing at a time, which is so lovely to hear.

FIVE: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CHEMICALS
Last on my list of the top five ways to distract from overwhelm is to move your body in whatever way works for you. You probably won’t feel like it, I usually don’t on these kind of days, but I would put money on it that you will feel better as soon as all those beautiful chemicals start being released. Lifting weights is my ‘thing’, and high intensity circuits, but on days I feel stressed and my energy is low, I just reduce my weight and do what I can. It’s sometimes more about the act of doing it than coming out covered in sweat! I usually find myself working pretty hard once I have made a start, but if I don’t, then that is okay. Yoga is another great one, I love Yoga with Adriene and usually reach for her really gentle routines, like her night time flows, because they are so cosy and relaxed. I often find that holding ‘strong’ poses are just too much when I am overwhelmed, so I choose the more gentle ones every time! I need more of a yoga cuddle!

So, there you have it. I know these are not rocket science tricks or anything new to your ears, but sometimes just hearing another take on things helps doesn’t it. These are certainly more tricky times and we must learn to be okay with how we are feeling. Everything is cyclical, and I truly believe we will come out of our ‘funks’ as better human beings, as long as we allow ourselves to be present with the season we are going through.

One final thought for us all to remember:

Overwhelm happens when you think you have to figure everything out all at once.

Spoiler alert, you don't!