When Too Much is Going On

How do you stop and relax?

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The stressors of everyday life threaten to overwhelm us. We feel pain in our bodies from anxiety and cannot function. We can wake up one morning as if with a hangover without a single drink in our system. The way people cope with pressure is different from person to person, and here is what I do to organize and manage my time.

• Make lists just the right length with the exact amount of granularity needed. Then, go through said lists in a prompt and disciplined manner, consistently over time.
• Decatastrophize large overwhelming tasks by splitting them up just so they seem easily attainable goals, and satisfying each time we finish a part.
• Spread out time over things you should do, things you desire, and things you believe are both productive and enjoyable.
• Maintain a cool and calm demeanor despite pressure, stress, and overwhelm, taking life in stride and working slowly but surely through your goals.
• Avoid obsession or frequent distractions, and commend yourself for doing something right, promptly, or well.
• Exercise self-care routines and do not forget to attend to your own needs quickly so that you may remain less frustrated and neurotic throughout the day.
• Be kind to yourself if you make a mistake, reminding yourself that you are resilient and can catch up for making up for it next time.
• Ask for help and receive help when needed, also learning to recognize when it’s appropriate to ask for outside assistance and accept it.
• Remind yourself that you’ve come this far, you’ve lived this long breathing every single day, so you might as well continue for as long as it takes to optimize your lifestyle to your liking.

I constantly have to remind myself that I am enough that I have what it takes and that I am the right one for the job. We are always a work in progress and there is so much more to look forward to as long as we keep on doing what we are doing. What we are given is a small part of what we can make from it, and creativity must be nurtured, imagination must be exercised, and excitement must be fostered if we are to live to the fullest extent we are capable.

We might forget what truly matters to us if we stop focusing on what our heart yearns for, but as long as we are patient, calm, content, and hard-working, we will never lose sight of what we are truly aiming for and therefore never lose it before it has a chance to appear in our lives. Taking time to think and resolve differences, to talk and learn, to stop and do nothing, are what drives us forward to be our best selves and what we should never stop doing.

Aimee Sparrow is an author, applied philosopher, and mathematician who has been living with a mood disorder for more than a decade and advocates for happiness and inner peace. She is the author of Lunacy. Follow her website for more details.