The ONE Quick Trick I Use to Allieviate Overwhelm

I am anxious. There, I said it. Not the social anxiety sort of anxious, like I hide at parties, but the kind that gets you when you feel overwhelmed. The kind that comes up when you have kids and jobs and husbands and friends and projects and blogs and singing gigs and houses, and mothers with Alzheimer’s, and it feels like every bit of these areas needs your attention at once.

Oh Lizzy, why don’t you just DO LESS STUFF?????

I don’t know about you, but for me, that is not an option. Yes, sometimes saying no to things is the issue and also the solution. But all of these things are in my life for a reason, and I want it to stay that way.

There is often a point during the day where if I am feeling that overwhelming feeling of anxiety, I am either blessed with something that forces me out of it, or the other side, which is that I have some kind of emotional reaction like an outburst of tears or anger. Often it is my kids that help diffuse the anxiety, they are so good at making me laugh or just helping me to remember what is important and then magically, the stress dissipates.

I mean, wouldn’t this make you feel less stressed???????????

 

But if I don’t have these little faces available to quell my anxiety, I have to go about it another way.

The other day I was feeling that way at work, so I grabbed a steno pad and pen and started writing. Here is what I wrote

 

1. SOURCE OF STRESS. Example: upcoming gig.

2. WHY IS IT CAUSING ME STRESS. Example: lots of lyrics to learn, new music I am not confident with, etc.

3. WHAT IS THE DEADLINE/PRIORITY ORDER. Example: I have an entire month to practice.

4. WHAT CAN I DO TODAY TO MINIMIZE THE STRESS. Example: make a spotify playlist, make lyric sheets, focus on a couple of songs each day.

So I made a list like this for everything I felt was bothering me. And you know what?

It was like a magic pill!

Honestly!

Something about putting it on paper made me feel a weight had been lifted.

And looking at it there in black and white somehow made these worries seem so much smaller than what I had built up in my mind.

And I have it sitting right here, and I look at it whenever I am feeling any anxiety creeping up. I also added a couple of things and crossed one off. PROGRESS.

TRY IT! And let me know how it feels!

 

Here is to having peaceful thoughts……..

 

xo