Transform Overwhelm, Take Inspired Action
Do you ever find yourself caught in a whirlwind of overwhelm, juggling the demands of life, work, and personal responsibilities? I think it’s impossible to not experience moments of overwhelm given the complexity of modern life.
Overwhelm is rooted in the Old English “oferwealman,” which literally means overturning or capsizing in the context of ships. Over time it took on a more figurative sense symbolizing a powerful force disrupting control.
What I know for sure, is that the feeling of overwhelm only arises when I’m living in my mind. To alleviate overwhelm it’s essential to ground myself in my body, take refuge in my breath, and fully immerse myself in the present moment through my senses. When I do this, what truly matters can come to the forefront of my awareness and I’m better able to engage in strategies like identifying the source of the overwhelm, creating boundaries, and challenging perfectionism.
There will always be an infinite amount of tasks on my plate, especially in my current season of life with a young child, aging parents and a career that is simultaneously rewarding but demanding. When I tackle my tasks with a focused and clear presence the universe responds positively.
Inspired action, I’ve learned, emanates from an embodied place. Tuning into our bodies, the language of the soul, enables decisions to unfold naturally through felt sensations, and creative ideas flow effortlessly. Fully embracing the present moment empowers us, making the future naturally fall into place.
As we navigate the complexity of modern life, I invite you to reflect on how you might break free from overwhelm and embrace inspired action with these principles:
1. Clarify Your Values: Illuminate what truly matters and inspires you.
2. Take Refuge in Your Breath, Body and Senses: Overwhelm takes place in the mind. Get out of your head and into your body.
3. Listen to Your Inner Voice: Trust your instincts and intuition, they often lead you toward inspired actions. When you need more guidance ask yourself, “What’s my most wise and loving next step?”
4. Celebrate Progress OVER Perfection: Perfectionism is rooted in feelings of unworthiness. Adopt the habit of saying, “I am enough. May what I do today be enough.”
5. Surrender and Stay Open to Serendipity: Be open but not attached to outcomes. When you are fueled by a deep sense of higher purpose things unfold in ways you could never conceive.
Let us remember that we are most powerful when we harmonize body, mind, and spirit in service of a higher purpose. Anchored in this synergy, we not only transcend overwhelm but propel ourselves forward with inspired and purposeful action.
Wishing you clarity, presence, and flow.
Author Bio: Meena Srinivasan is a contemplative leader, celebrated speaker, accomplished author, and visionary edupreneur. She is an educator-activist at heart, consistently championing the fusion of Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, and Belonging. Meena was featured as one of 2022’s 10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement in Mindful Magazine and is the Executive Director of Transformative Educational Leadership (TEL)™ an organization that supports educational leaders in building more compassionate and just schools. A former public school administrator and National Board Certified Teacher, Meena is the creative force behind the SEL Every Day Online Courses, an instructor of graduate level Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) courses at UC Berkeley and the CEO of Karuna Consulting, LLC, an organization that takes its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Karuna,’ signifying compassion. Karuna Consulting is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) driven by a profound mission: to foster a more compassionate world through Meena’s keynotes, professional learning, coaching, and consulting services. She is the author of numerous publications including Teach, Breathe, Learn and SEL Every Day. The latter was honored as one of 2019’s Favorite Books for Educators by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Her TEDx talk on Tenderness is one of the most popular TEDx talks of 2024 (with over 2 million views). Meena has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 25 years, is an ordained Zen Buddhist and serves on the Board of the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation. Learn more at meenasrinivasan.com.
