Feeling Overwhelmed?

Why not?

I’m the kinda girl that likes to have a lot on my plate.  Really.  I seem to thrive on having lots to do, lots to think about, and lots of change and new things I’m learning.  I love it.  But even I have my breaking point.  You know, when that feeling of not being able to breathe, feeling stressed, thoughts keeping you up at night, and essentially overwhelmed with everything you have on your plate?  That’s me right now.  

We’ve had TONS of life changes in the practice and personally, and it’s feeling a little much right. So what often happens when you have a lot of plates spinning?  For me, I feel that I’m able to keep up with it for a while, but has now progressed to the, holy-shit-I’m-feeling-so-overwhelmed phase.  It’s now when I need to prioritize things more than ever.  It’s now when I have to put some things aside that aren’t as important, and to focus on first things first.  I have a hard time with this.  I love to do it all, and not because I somehow feel I should, but because I truly like to be operating on all gears and fully engaged in life.  

So some of the projects have been put aside while I do what is absolutely necessary first.  My reading has taken a little bit of a back seat.  Sleep has not been the same (quality and quantity) for the last few weeks, and I’m putting aside a workout today.  Keeping it real?  It blows.  I don’t like making the choice to put things aside that are important to me.  

I had a good friend today, Dr. Amy Robinson, one of two fabulous women, moms, and chiropractors I have a weekly accountability call with (along with Dr. Andrea Ryan) talk about your life moving in three different phases–developing, processing, and action.  And that it’s difficult to maintain just action for suspended periods of time.  I get this.  I know there are times when life shifts and you cannot be primarily in action.  For example, we are training a new team member right now, Danielle, who had her first day this past Monday.  She is one seriously awesome girl, and learning and taking it all in like a champ right now.  So delighted to have her alongside us in our vision.  However, it takes a lot of time to train a new team member properly, and rightfully so.  We have a high standard that we hold for our team under our code of conduct, and training is a process.  At the same time, I’m still in the hiring process for a second team member that will start ideally in about 2-3 weeks.  And because that second team member assists us in our new practice member process, progress, and comparative exam testing, I’m doing all that right now, too.  And then add in my personal responsibilities, caring for and raising our little boy, workshops we’re teaching, etc., etc., etc. Phew.  

But you know what?  I’m happy to do so.  Tired at times, but happy.  Is it challenging to hire a brand new team, train them, and yet still keep our office running smoothly and with the level of service we hold ourselves accountable to?  You bet.  But at the same time, I’m grateful for the opportunity to start fresh, to build a new and better team that shares our vision, passion, and enthusiasm for greatness.  I love that.  

So perhaps in writing this blog, I’m coming to the realization that perhaps I’m not as overwhelmed as I think.  That maybe I’m even stronger than I feel and think right now.  That maybe we’re all able to handle a whole lot of curve balls that life hands us with an unbelievable amount of strength, grace, and fortitude that we don’t even know exists until it’s go time.  That’s awesome.  

So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath, figure out what’s most important and prioritize your time and energy accordingly, and be thankful for the chance to see how incredible you truly are.  And then when life becomes a little more calm again, a little more manageable to do it all again, go back to running on all gears, full out, moving straight ahead into the extraordinary life that you deserve and is your birthright.  Grab it and take your life and be awesome.  It’s yours.  In a state of overwhelm or not, YOU are born to lead an awesome life.  Cool, huh?