As requested 6 steps to manage overwhelm

1. BECOME AWARE YOU'RE OVERWHELMED. Without awareness, you can't do shit. Just acknowledge, accept, and even approve that you are feeling overwhelmed for the moment. [Things are about to change anyway]

2. TAKE 5 DEEP CONSCIOUS BREATHS. It's okay, you have time to take 5 breaths. This will help reset your nervous system and prepare you to restore effectiveness.

3. BREAK IT DOWN. Overwhelm indicates too much is going on for your system to handle. Make it manageable by breaking it down. Make a long to do list... write down all the emotions you are feeling (overwhelm is always just the top layer of other emotions)... figure out what's going on and figure out how to wrap your mind around it.

4. DETERMINE A STRATEGY. Prioritize your todo list and figure out what/when/how you will get some things done; or decide on a way you are going to move through your emotions; or decide you will reach out to friends until someone can talk (i recommend you maintain a list of "people I can reach out to for support" so that you don't have to think through this when you are overwhelmed). If you are in a somatic bind (e.g. your nervous system is fucked), your strategy should involve some kind of reset. If you're really hungry/sleepy, your strategy should involve food/rest.

5. SUBMIT! DO IT! Execute on the strategy. It's that simple. Surrender to what comes. Allow the overwhelm to shift. All is well

6. REFLECT. You may or may not do a 100% perfect job of handling the overwhelm. That's okay. What's most important is that you tried some steps, and learned something. After you follow these steps, reflect. What worked? What didn't? What will you do differently this time? If you make a small improvement every time you run into overwhelm, it will soon enough be an easily manageable and rare occurrence.

First person to try this strategy when they are actually overwhelmed, will win a personalized 1 min french horn serenade video!

Tagging everyone who expressed interest in the strategy. And thanks Meg Southern for co-brainstorming these steps!

May peace be with you!