HOW TO MASTER YOUR EMOTIONS WHEN FEELING OVERWHELMED

HOW TO MASTER YOUR EMOTIONS WHEN FEELING OVERWHELMED

Be More Confident in Unpredictable Circumstances

Have you felt overwhelmed lately?  Maybe you have new challenges at work as a result of mission requirements that have recently changed. Perhaps there are issues in your personal relationships that puzzle you. Or, maybe your personal finances have shifted, and you wonder how you’ll ever retire. We can be caught off guard and respond to an event inappropriately. In those moments you might ask yourself, Why the f%#@ did I just do that?

Can you relate? If so, I have good news for you. There is a way to move forward without regrets in the future. Becoming overwhelmed is like a flashing warning light on the dashboard of your vehicle, telling you to take immediate action.

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HOW UNPREDICTABILITY AND DISCOMFORT CAN BE A GIFT

We all want to feel safe, avoid pain, and feel comfortable in our environment. Everyone needs to have some sense of certainty and security – a roof over our head, knowing where our next meal is coming from, and knowing that someone has our back.
 
Even though some certainty is necessary for all of us, what constitutes certainty varies from person to person. Some people feel secure living in an 1100 square foot condo and driving a 1974 Ford Maverick.  While others fill their need for certainty owning an 8400 square foot house and driving a Mercedes S-Class.

We can get overwhelmed when out-of-the-ordinary circumstances present themselves. If we choose to perceive unpredictability and disruptive events as gifts, we can choose new vehicles that will provide a higher level of comfort.

​Recently, I had an opportunity to upgrade my vehicles (to experience certainty in easier ways). I was feeling overwhelmed with all of the expansion activities in my business so I can better fulfill my need for contribution. 

I was getting more and more anxious and irritable. Normal tasks were becoming increasingly difficult. I was starting to live outside of my highest values with less than awesome behaviors. The red warning light on my dashboard was flashing, that it was time to choose a new vehicle to experience the need for certainty. Here is what I did and what has helped many of my coaching clients.

On a frequent basis, I ask myself these two questions. They help me to fine-tune my vehicle, so I can live life with fewer regrets.

1. What has to happen to feel more certain, safe, secure, and taken care of? What do you currently do to meet this need?

2. What are new ways that you can meet the need for certainty? 
Have you felt overwhelmed lately? Acquiring new vehicles will enable you to make it easier to meet the need for certainty, and you’ll dramatically change your life.

If you have been feeling overwhelmed lately more than likely you have vehicles that aren’t serving you. Identify your current vehicles and choose more appropriate ones if needed.