I work with many people who will tell me they feel anxious. When I ask what is making them feel anxious, they give me a list of all the things they have going on and the stress they feel. I let them know that they are not feeling so much anxiety, but overwhelmed. When we feel overwhelmed it can give us the feeling of anxiety. So what can we do for the feeling of overwhelmed? I ask my clients, "What are your controllables?" What are the things in your control that you can actually work on?
Our brain can only handle a few things at a time, and if we can break things down into more smaller, manageable chunks we don't feel so overwhelmed. The feeling of overwhelmed begins to subside and we can begin to breathe again.
What can you do to break things down to smaller, more manageable chunks?
Can you ask a friend for help?
Can you schedule time specifically to work on one or two small things?
Can you ask for more time?
Can you give yourself grace to take time for yourself (go for a walk, get a massage, have a nice dinner with friends)?
These are just a few of the questions you can ask yourself when it comes to setting up your controllables.
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