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Overwhelmed & scatter-brained from the moment you wake up?

Overwhelmed & scatter-brained from the moment you wake up?

This routine is for you

Are you currently waking up and your mind’s instantly churning with all the things you need to do?

Maybe you’re feeling scatter-brained and overwhelmed trying to juggle it all?

If you’re thinking “Holy smokes, THAT’S ME!”, then the routine in todays episode is for you.

This routine is super simple, but an absolute gamechanger which has helped myself and countless clients switch off after work, be present with loved ones without work thoughts creeping in, get phenomenal sleep and quieten the mind in the morning before work starts.

If you’re ready for a mind that’s blissfully calm, quiet and in control – then tuck your knickers in because this routine is going to sweep you off your feet.

Let’s jump in!


P.S. If you’re ready to get your healing journey started, then click here to book in a free 45 minute Health + Happiness Blueprint call and let’s figure out exactly what your root causes are and what you need to do to feel like your healthy, happy + magical self again!

3 Easy Hacks To Reduce Overwhelm

3 Easy Hacks To Reduce Overwhelm

What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed and scattered?

I used to shut down, go find a snack, watch TV or procrastinate by changing the colours on my Canva graphics 50 times.

That helped calm my mind down in the moment, but as soon as I started working on the important stuff again, I’d be right back on that train heading straight to *Overwhelm Central*.

Now, I ditch overwhelm as quick as you can say tim-buck-two using these 3 hacks.

Listen now on your fav podcast platform or read the blog below.

Hack #1: slow belly breaths
  1. Place your hand on your belly and another on your heart
  2. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds feeling your belly rise
  3. Hold for 3-4 seconds
  4. Slowly breathe out through your nose for 6-8 seconds
  5. Hold for 2-3 seconds
  6. Repeat 10x

By breathing into your belly you’re activating your diaphragm rather than using your shoulders and neck to breathe and that long exhale switches your body into parasympathetic mode (aka. rest and digest mode).

This gets you out of sympathetic mode where your…

  • breathing is shallow
  • head is spiralling
  • body is flooded with antsy cortisol which is making you feel scattered and overwhelmed.

Having that long exhale switches you back into the calming parasympathetic mode where your cortisol is lower and you have more clarity in your mind to be able to rationalise and think clearly without the haze of stress, panic and overwhelm overshadowing everything.

So have 10 long exhale belly breathes, focusing on your belly rising, to switch you into parasympathetic mode so you can feel calmer and have more clarity.

 

Hack #2: Distract yourself for 20 minutes

Literally, step away from your work and go distract yourself for 20 minutes . Put the washing out, make a snack, even lie on your bed.

After 20 minutes, come back to your work and you’ll notice your head is clearer, your more in control and way more productive.

This is because your brain can only handle and process information for 52 minutes before it’s at full capacity. Before your brain gets so full that it starts to feel tired and scattered and overwhelmed.

After 52 minutes, your brain will naturally start to daydream and you’ll catch yourself procrastinating with other mindless tasks or scrolling on social media. Which usually makes you feel stressed and you try to rush back into work.

After 52 minutes of working, relax for 16-20 minutes.

Go away and empty your brain, give it a breather so it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to hold on to all these different ideas at once, but it can actually stop and process what its absorbed and done in the last hour or since your last break. Once it’s processed the past 52 minutes worth of information, it’ll be clearer, calmer and you’ll be able to rationalise and think much easier – reducing your overwhelm.

The best way to do this is to set a little reminder every 90 minutes on your phone or laptop to tell you to have a break so you can get into your work and run over if you’re on a roll, but still get your 16-20 minute break in. You’ll be so much more productive, get so much more done, and your brain will feel calmer and clearer.

 

Hack #3: find the solution.
STEP ONE

Brain dump every thought you currently have onto a piece of paper or a blank work document.

If you’re generally feeling overwhelmed and you’re not sure why…

  • Brain dump every single thought that passes your head in a 20 minute time period. Doesn’t matter if it’s tasks you need to do, reminders you need to set or how you’re currently feeling. Jot it all down.

Or if you’re feeling overwhelmed about a specific task…

  • Write down every thought and step you need to do for that task.

Basically, every single thought that pops up, write it down. Try to completely empty your head so your brain isn’t trying to hold onto all these thoughts and reminders and to-do’s. Because when you transfer the thought from your head and into written form, your brain can let go of that thought. When you keep repeating that process, your brain gets clearer and clearer.

Experts state the mind thinks between 60,000-80,000 thoughts a day.

That’s 41-55 thoughts a minute. But most of these are useless thoughts or constant reminders, so clearing out the fluff and emptying these thoughts from your mind can reduce how many thoughts you have per hour, leaving your brain less overwhelmed and scattered and full.

So get all your current thoughts written down about a specific task that’s making you feel overwhelmed or in general so that they’re physically in front of you.

 

STEP TWO

Choose the thought or task that’s the most important to do right now.

My favourite way to do this is a method my coach taught me about the blocked hose analogy.

  • Imagine you’ve got a hose and it’s blocked in various locations.
  • You need to unblock at the end closest to the water tap so the water can progress further up the hose.
  • You need to start with the task that will get the water moving the most. The one task you can do right now that will give you the most benefit and get you closer to where you want to be.

If you get this one task done, you’ll have unblocked one aspect of the hose and will be making progress and have made the biggest step in the right direction.

Rather than trying to stop the overwhelm by doing everything at once, starting 10 different jobs but only doing 5% of them and procrastinating with the easier tasks that make no difference at all.

Like changing the colour scheme on your social media posts or choosing a new font for your website.

These tasks won’t be unblocking the hose and will leave you still feeling overwhelmed and stressed with everything that needs to be done. Especially because you’re not making big progress when you alter your colours or change your fonts, even thought you will naturally gravitate towards doing them because they’re easy and mindless.

Brain dump all your thoughts, then look at everything you’ve written down and choose the one task that is the most important to do right now.

The one task that’s the first step to unblocking your hose and will allow you to make progress to achieve your big goal.

 

P.S. If you’re ready to get your healing journey started, then click here to book in a free 45 minute Health + Happiness Blueprint call and let’s figure out exactly what your root causes are and what you need to do to feel like your healthy, happy + magical self again!

The #1 Cause of Overwhelm & Burnout

The #1 Cause of Overwhelm & Burnout

The #1 cause of overwhelm & burnout

The #1 cause of feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, is because we don’t give ourselves permission to slow down.

We sooo easily give permission to others to slow down, but rarely do it for ourselves. Myself included.

And this is a hard lesson I’ve had to learn this past fortnight.

I’ve had big tasks that needed to be done and accomplished according to my very tight schedule.

But this fortnight the energy of the universe was not on my side. Whether it was a combination of the full moon, PMS-ing or having a dog who suddenly developed an affinity for being a poohead – I just wasn’t in the right mindset to be productive or motivated or get work done.

Initially, I fought it.

Because I had a tonne of work to do and if I got one day behind, then my entire schedule went ka-poot!

  • So I became increasingly more stressed when I wasn’t able to get my big to-do list ticked off and I was running more and more behind schedule.
  • Then I felt super overwhelmed because I was shoving in more jobs in one day than I could possibly handle and the fact I wasn’t completing them was making me feel like a failure.
  • And then having a huge list of to-do’s that weren’t scheduled made me feel scattered and even more stressed.
  • And then anxious that I was behind…and then snappy…and emotional…and super easily frustrated and irritated.
  • …and super exhausted.

And that’s not the business and life I want.

I didn’t start a business to feel like I’m pushing a boulder up a hill all the time.

I created a business to be free and enjoy my life…and this week has not been that.

So, instead of feeling super stressed trying to now reach unachievable deadlines…

  • I’ve given myself permission to take a break.
  • I’ve given myself permission to listen to my body and it’s needs.
  • I’ve given myself permission to slow down.

I’ve rejigged my calendar and pushed my brand spanking new program back 4 weeks so that I know I can take time off to look after myself and feel calm, organised and in control again.

Because I’m the one in control of my business so there are no hard and fast deadlines I must meet.

I’m the only in control of how I feel and run my business and my life.

  • I won’t sacrifice weekends spent with friends and relaxing to hustle and get jobs done. 
  • I won’t sacrifice feeling calm, and happy and organised just to avoid *letting myself down* with a deadline I set for myself. 
  • And I won’t sacrifice the passion and inspiration and motivation I feel for my business and the work I do, at the expense of working myself into the ground to achieve a goal I had originally set for myself.

You are a human being, so give yourself permission to be a human being.

You’ll have crap days and crap weeks where it’s way more beneficial to curl into a ball and cry or spend the entire Tuesday at the beach, than it is to push yourself to work when your body and mind are screaming out not to.

Give yourself permission to adjust and rejig and create new goals that help you live the life you want now.

It’s more than okay to slow down and you’ll be more productive and motivated if you give yourself a break.

Because if you keep pushing and working hard and against what your body and mind need from you right now, you’ll be on a one way train to feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and eventually burnt out.

If you’re feeling stuck in a rut and sick of feeling overwhelmed, scattered, irritable and exhausted, then click here to book in a free discovery call with me and let’s get you feeling energised, calm, motivated and in control again.

The Anxiety Relief Technique That Calms Your Mind And Halts Your Panic Attack

The Anxiety Relief Technique That Calms Your Mind And Halts Your Panic Attack

An Anxiety Relief Technique That Calms Your Mind And Halts Your Panic Attack

Do you wish you had a magic stick that could make all your anxiety simply disappear?

Well this one particular technique may not be magical, but it sure has the power to halt a panic attack in its tracks and make you feel calm again – quick sticks!

There’s a reason it’s my absolute favourite technique to use when I’m feeling anxious and it works everytime.

Want to know what it is and how to use it?

Then check out today’s episode by clicking play below or listening on your fav podcast platform.

 

One of the most effective ways to reduce anxiety when it’s flaring up…

…when you start to feel that unease in your stomach and the pounding in your heart, the tightness squeezing your chest or the sweaty palms and the chaos swirling around and around in your head…

…is the 90-10 method.

This technique quickly reduces those symptoms when they pop up. But even better, they stop your anxiety flaring up again later on.

This is because the 90-10 method addresses the cause of your anxiety. This technique doesn’t make you feel momentarily better. It doesn’t distract you or ground you back down. It deals with the reason why your anxiety is popping up in the first place. So you can let that anxiety go and overcome it.

The 90-10 method can be used on all levels of anxiety. Whether it’s just low level anxiousness, overwhelm or unease, or more when your heart is pounding and your thoughts are spiralling in your head.

How does this magical anxiety-neutralising technique work?

10% of the time you allow yourself to wallow in problem mode.

Go grab that ice cream, curl into a ball and cry your eyes out…allow yourself to feel absolutely miserable in the moment. Let yourself feel like crap because whatevers making you feel anxious is sucky and it’s ok to give these emotions a voice and let it out. Let those emotions free. Feel anger, irritation, sadness, anxiety. Feel whatever you need to feel.

It doesn’t mean that you’re being petty.
It doesn’t mean that you’re less than, or that you’re weak.
It just means that you’re allowing yourself to be human and to feel your emotions.

Allow yourself to feel those emotions for 10% of the time. If you’ve got an hour, sit in those emotions for 6 minutes.

 

Then switch over and 90% of the time, go into solution mode.

Solution mode is anything you need to work out why you’re feeling anxious and find a solution to it.

Sit down, find a quiet place, take a cleansing breath and then ask yourself these 3 questions.

P.S. Let the truth come out. No one else needs to know these answers, so be as raw and open with yourself as you can. There are no wrong answers.

#1. What do I need right now to feel better?
  • Is it a hug?
  • Is it to pick up the phone and tell someone a piece of your mind?
  • Is it to quit your job?
  • Is it to have a big cry?

It doesn’t matter what it is and you don’t have to do it, just be honest with yourself for what your heart is screaming out for right now.

 

#2. What was the issue that made me feel this way?

Be 100% honest with yourself. You don’t need to act on these realisations, just allow your subconscious to tell you what you need.

  • Is it to call someone & set them straight about something they said?
  • Is it to change the way someone treats you & if so, how would you like to be treated?
  • Is it that you feel stuck and you don’t like the way you currently run your household or how you do your work?
  • Is it that your head feels chaotic, you feel overwhelmed, over worked and like you’re losing your sanity?
  • Is it to figure out what you actually want in life, because you’re truthfully stuck in a rut that’s not heading where you want to go?

 

#3. What needs to happen to stop this from happening again?

Start with the raw truth and then work backwards to find a solution that’s comfortable to you.

  • It may not be calling that person and telling them a piece of your mind. Instead it may be listing all the reasons why their opinion has no impact on your life and making a plan to avoid talking to them. Or maybe being the one to change the conversation with them so that when they make a comment that triggers you, you have something you can say that makes you feel better and stops them in their tracks from making you feel worse.

 

  • If you want to be treated differently, it may be writing a list of how you’d ideally like to be treated by the person or relationship that’s making you feel anxious, and noting down the things that mean a lot to you. Then bringing it up in conversation with them. It’s much easier to fix a relationship you have with a friend, partner or family member when you know what you want, rather than what you want them not to do – and they’ll be way more receptive to making a change you love, rather than trying to change something about them you don’t like.

 

  • If it’s because you feel stuck and you don’t like the way you do something in your household or at work, it may be that you need to sit down with a blank piece of paper and plan out how an ideal day looks in your house or at work. What you’d be doing and what you’d be achieving. And then look at your life and notice the parts that you want to be doing on a day to day basis that aren’t currently in your life. And then create a plan for how you could start to include it into your daily routine. Again, don’t focus on what you don’t like, introduce and start doing what you want to be doing. Focus on the positives.

 

  • If it’s that you feel chaotic, overwhelmed and like you’re losing your sanity, it could be that you need to get clarity again on what you really want. Sit down with a blank piece of paper and write down absolutely everything you need to do and want to do. Then prioritise that list with what’s super important and will make a big difference in your life, all the way down to the things that don’t make a difference if they’re done or not. It could even be just finding a diary that vibes for you and scheduling your day and making a plan.

It’s finding the right solution for you.

  1. What do you need right now to feel better?
  2. What was the issue that has made you feel this way?
  3. And what needs to happen to stop this from happening again in the future?

What solution makes you feel good and that you’ve solved the issue that was triggering your anxiety and your emotions.

This technique has that beautiful combination of allowing your emotions to be heard in a safe and controlled manner because you’re giving them a section of time to scream out and rage, but then you’re also figuring out a solution to the main issue that’s causing your anxiety in the first place. You’re figuring out the answer to stop that anxiety trigger from triggering your again in the future.

This will take a huge weight off your shoulders, because a huge chunk of anxiety is a fear of the unknown, a fear of the what if and basically catastrophizing about the future – whether you can control it or not.

And a big way to reduce anxiety is to find the solution. Create a contingency plan so you have something in your back pocket if that what if or that unknown ever does happen.

You are the one in control of your life, so create solutions to fix or heal what’s upsetting you and making you anxious. It’s way more powerful and effective to feel anxiety-free for the long term, rather than letting anxiety control and suffocate you with worries and fears.

The next time you’re feeling anxious and you feel like you can’t get out of out that anxious spiral, use this method.

  • Allow yourself 10% of the time to wallow and do what you need to express your emotions in all their glory.
  • Then transition and allow yourself 90% of the time to figure out a solution to what’s making you feel anxious.

Spend 6 minutes wallowing. Then 54 minutes in solution mode asking yourself these three questions:

  1. What do I need to feel better right now?
  2. What was the issue that made me feel this way?
  3. What needs to happen to stop this happening again?

And I promise you a massive weight off your shoulders will be lifted and your anxiety will massively reduce.

1 Simple Tool To Reduce Anxiety And Kick Worrying To The Curb

1 Simple Tool To Reduce Anxiety And Kick Worrying To The Curb

1 Simple Tool To Reduce Anxiety And Kick Worrying To The Curb

Do you feel a flutter in your heart every time you go to make a decision?

Do you quickly reflect what your friend would choose or what would get you the most compliments?

Do you worry about what people think of you? That you said the wrong thing, or that they now think you’re a total weirdo.

Worrying sucks.

And it’s even worse when it’s worrying that fuels your anxiety, makes you feel small and smooshes your confidence like a bug.

I could tell you “Don’t worry about it”. But if you’re anything like me, that phrase makes me want to grab a pitchfork and go screaming through the street. I usually end up muttering under my breath “Don’t worry about it….I’ll show you don’t worry about it.”

So heave a sigh of relief, because I definitely won’t be giving you that advice.

What I will be giving you is the advice that stopped me from worrying or caring what people think.

It’s a total game changer and a tool I use almost daily to kick my worrying to the curb and reduce my anxiety.

If you’re ready to ditch the worrying, click play below or download on your fav podcast platform.

Feeling Trapped By Anxiety? Remember This Fact.

Feeling Trapped By Anxiety? Remember This Fact.

Feeling Trapped By Anxiety? Remember This Fact.

How long have you been living with anxiety?

Do you feel trapped by your anxiety? Are you still try to fight or fix your anxiety? Are you desperately looking for what’s causing your anxiety?

Or have you reached a point where you’ve accepted the fact that anxiety is part of who you are and it’s probably gonna be with you for life?

Are you now always preparing for battle with anxiety, trying to stop it from completely paralysing you the next time anxiety shows up? Because that hope for a life without anxiety is getting dimmer and dimmer.

That was my life and my hope a few years ago.

I can recall reaching that point in my mid 20’s that maybe anxiety and I were always meant to be lifelong companions. That maybe a life wasn’t possible for me without the taint of anxiety in my day.

Until the core of my anxiety was set free.

(Check out Overcoming Anxiety: The One Question That Changed My Life for that story)

It was in that moment I had one profound thought. One thought that drastically changed my life. One thought that meant that anxiety no longer controlled my life, but now I had full control of my life. One thought that now drives me to help the lives I’m blessed to see in clinic.

It’s the thought that pulses through my veins when my anxiety decides to pay a visit or a health issue pops up.

It restores my hope and fills me with fire.

Want your own hope and fire restored?

Watch or listen to this episode now.

Because anxiety doesn’t have to be a lifelong companion anymore.