My Top 5 Tips for Avoiding Overwhelm as a Breast Cancer Survivor
I get overwhelmed easily.
Who else does?! Show of hands! Most people, right?
Life likes to throw you everything all at once.
And we all know stress has a major negative impact on our well-being.
So how do we avoid this?
Life has its inevitable moments of overwhelm, sure. But I’m working on reacting in a less intense way when things seem to feel suffocating.
Here’s a glimpse of what was/still is on my plate and stressing me out recently:
Driver’s test - I was nervous for and didn’t want to fail yet again (third time’s the charm for me, apparently! *eye roll*)
My cat - he fell ill and needed a pricey check-up that I really wasn’t prepared to pay for…
Health - I was chasing my plastic surgeon (sent in circles having to call a handful of people) for a revision meeting and this brings on anxiety— I’ll be back in the same room where I was diagnosed…
Travel - I am trying to plan a trip that is proving to be challenging to sort the logistics of and to be able to see everyone while also worrying about leaving a very young puppy at home.
Puppy - We’re busy making our home puppy ready and worrying about balancing work and introducing the cat
Money - I’m worrying about finances and the interest rate hikes here in Canada (it’s getting scary and tight…)
Art - I hate feeling behind on art requests, I apologize to everyone waiting but am doing my best!
Work - I’ve been feeling inadequate yet burnt out from my full-time job
Yada yada the list goes on…
The old me would’ve went into shut down mode as soon as this list got only half this long. I would feel my skin heat up, start to sweat, I’d raise my voice, bark out loud everything that could go wrong and start blaming people for the smallest of things.
The new me still has a moment of weakness in which I verbally state all the potential things that could go wrong and rant to a friend or family member.
But the difference is I keep it short. I get out my worries and acknowledge them. Then I move on.
I get to work logically sorting them in my brain in terms of:
Priority
Deadline
What can go RIGHT
How to prepare
And Creating an Action plan
I tell myself I can work through this. I tell myself I’m safe.
I focus on what’s first on my plate and most important so I can put my energy into that and store the others for a later date.
You can’t do 20 things at once. Sometimes you have to pick your battles— or more specifically, pick what you’re capable of carrying at the moment and leaving the rest for later. Our brains can only handle so much!
I’m fortunate to work with coaches and often times I learn from them these mindset tips and advice.
In fact— fun fact… one of our coaches also has a part time job on the side coaching women with breast cancer.
I know, what are the odds?! I feel pretty lucky to be surrounded by such caring, empathetic, powerful people.
Overwhelm is something we talk about often with our clients. They have a lot to juggle between operating and growing their businesses, while balancing family, life, health, hobbies, etc.
Over the last few months I’ve gotten better at managing my own overwhelm by following their example.
Some things I do to help unscramble my overwhelmed brain are:
To journal or write out my thoughts and feelings. Sometimes I make a blog, sometimes I keep private handwritten scribbles in my notepad.
Meditate. Breathing deeply in and out very slowly (sometimes paired with stretching, lying in bed, or doing a mini yoga flow)
Getting things off my chest and shared with loved ones. Now there’s a difference here in sharing panicked doom and gloom and just sharing your fears and letting them know what’s on your mind so they might listen and guide you.
Taking a moment to understand the root cause of the overwhelm. Is it fear of recurrence, is it money problems, is it feelings of inadequacy? These are all things you can discuss at therapy or to loved ones. You’re certainly not alone in any fear you face.
Making a to-do list. Again, I “bucketize” and prioritize what needs to be done first.
So how have I been getting through this big list?
I put into my calendar the due dates of things.
I colour code things according to priority (Red = Urgent, Yellow = Medium concern, Green = Low concern)
I focus on the first thing on my plate (with highest priority) and make a game plan.
Ex: Preparing for my driver’s test: I told myself I am a confident driver, I said out loud that I would pass, went out to practice days in advance, looked over all notes and details from my last failed attempts, and got to the exam nice and early so I could just sit, breathe, do some last minute reading and mental practice, and get into a good headspace.
Ex: Dealing with my cat’s health: Instead of getting frustrated that the trip to the vet was so expensive, I chose to see it as a positive— at least now we now all that is wrong with him was his medication dosage being too high. As frustrating as that is because I’ve already had his bloodwork done recently and his bills went up in price, my kitty is healthy and that’s what is most important. We will survive the vet bill together— having my partner split the bill with me was a relief.
Ex: I finally got in contact with my surgeon after being resilient in calling around. I have an appointment set for later this month and to curb anxiety, am telling myself out loud that I am safe, things are fine, and that this is just a check up. I will deal with the results and feedback after I speak with her and for now can concentrate on other things like getting my puppy!
I think for me, the biggest things are: making a plan, setting deadlines, and asking for help when necessary.
Life is messy, but also wonderful. I think it’s a delicate dance between finding mental peace, getting things done just because you have to, aiming toward goals, and finding happiness in the little things.
What tactics work best for you when it comes to dealing with overwhelm? I’d love to know!
Leave me a comment down below or come find me on Instagram @shestaysstrongblog
And as always, thanks for reading!
XO Steph
#shestaysstrong
