If you ever struggle with feeling overwhelmed the chances are it’s peaking around now.

At any time in the UK an average adult might be juggling any number of the following, in no particular order:

• Work.
• Home tasks such as cleaning, washing and cooking as well as maintenance of house and garden
• Looking after children
• Managing the family diary, school admin and getting everyone to the right place at the right time
• Christmas tasks – choosing and wrapping presents, shopping, planning family events, food prep, buying a tree and decorating the house!
• Looking after parents or other family members, or worrying about their ailing health
• Trying to find time for the close personal relationships in your life
• Managing finances
• Self care – exercise, diet, mental wellness, time out, fun with friends

And those are just the predictable things. What about the problem solving – fixing leaks and breaks, dealing with illnesses and accidents, trouble shooting at work, supporting a child who is anxious or falls out with friends, managing last minute social invitations or sporting fixtures, the list goes on and on.

You can end up feeling you are holding everyone else’s happiness and wellbeing in your hands. Then the problems really start because you put yourself at the bottom of the pile and keep giving and giving without filling your cup. You feel like you are failing before you’ve even started because you’re trying to achieve an impossible set of tasks.

The solution is always that you have to do less and learn to say “No”! That’s really uncomfortable to hear and impossible to action without help and support around you. You have to value yourself over and above all others. You are the only person who can do this for yourself and if you don’t no-one else can or will. It’s only by filling your cup to the brim that it can overflow to help others.

If you need help making these changes then I’d love to be your side kick. I understand this as I’ve been there, done that, got all the t-shirts and am working on the changes myself. This is crucial for my business because I have to look after myself so I have enough attention and energy to support all of my patients and carry out all the administrative tasks that go on behind the scenes. I want to work with more of you and I can only do that if I have enough energy and keep myself well. I have to priortise down time and rest, say “No” much more often, challenge my core beliefs (that I didn’t even know I was subconsciously living by) and ask for help. We’re not meant to do it all alone and get it all right first time!

Regardless of whether you are a Mum or not, my first recommendation is to follow The Organised Mum on Instagram or check out her website. She’s full of no nonsense advice and she makes me laugh! My favourite nugget of wisdom is “Good enough is good enough”. For those of you who celebrate Christmas but hate the marathon of admin and jobs that lead up to it, you need her in your life. If it feels like you will never get it all done before 25^th December this year check out Gemma’s Christmas catch up on her Instagram page.

Feeling overwhelmed can come from many emotional places when looked at from an acupuncture perspective:

 🔥A Fire CF wants everyone to be happy and will not want to upset anyone so may agree to taking on extra tasks rather than upsetting someone by saying no.

 🌍An Earth CF tends to worry so will agonise about the right or wrong way to go about something instead of just getting on with the task in hand! They may also worry about upsetting people or not doing the right thing.

🪙A Metal CF could tend to have a perfectionist streak. It’s impossible to do everything to that standard so they end up exhausted or feeling like a constant failure. Or they may give up too quickly because they don’t think they will do a good enough job for the task.

 💧A Water CF might be scared of the consequences of doing or not doing something. They can be very fearful and might spend time going over and over the possibilities but never get anything done. Alternatively they can be so driven to achieve the next thing or push themselves to the next level that they never allow themselves down time as that feels like a waste of time or a failure.

🌲A Wood CF can tend to be very good or very bad at organising and planning. Both ends of this spectrum can lead to overwhelming feelings. Either they can never get anything done or they are trying to organise their way through an impossible list of tasks. They believe it’s a failure of their ability to plan and strategise if they can’t get everything done, rather than an impossible task list.

The reality is we all have all of these elements within us and we need all the skills of each element to work together to enhance our ability of enjoy and engage with life. Some days you will be better at certain aspects than others. But, if you are consistently struggling with the same issues it’s time to look deeper and get support to help change the way you approach life to reduce the chance of feeling overwhelmed.

I’ve been specialising in the treatment of stress and anxiety for 19 years. My passion is helping people who are overworked and under resourced to manage their stress and anxiety as well as other physical health issues. I love helping people to improve their quality of life through better understanding of how they interact with the world and the people around them. We achieve this with regular acupuncture and simple lifestyle advice. You can book your free 20 minute consultation to find out more by following the booking link.