Here's the deal, I'm experiencing massive overload right now.
I know you can relate. Even if your brain doesn't look quite like this (but this is real, right?! 👇)
Me right now.
Overload happens.
I've got a lot going on - personally and professionally.
As do you.
Be it -
financial stress, especially income and cash flow
stress in your key relationships
grief and struggle from health issues for you or loved ones
the pain of unmet goals or desires you've been working on for some time now
And the consequences suck -
lashing out when your go-to is to approach people with kindness
feeling paralyzed by fear when you historically make quick and good decisions
questioning your capabilities and abilities when you normally feel confident
Brain science to the rescue.
I've been working furiously to tackle the overwhelm. See my 3 big actions here.
Yet, there is something SO simple I discovered - based on brain science - that I want to share it with you.
There are 4 words which when I repeated to myself:
Instantly reduced my stress
Freed my paralysis
Enabled decision making
Some super simplified and quick brain science will make these 4 words work for you too.
Real quick - think of your brain as having 2 functions:
1. Keep-you-alive-brain aka "OMG there's a TIGER!"
This part is responsible for
breathing
keeping your heart beating
forcing you to act when you're in danger so you can survive. Let's say you come face to face with a tiger. This part forces you to fight it, run or stop in your tracks.
2. Help-you-function-well brain - aka "Yeah, I totally got this."
This part is responsible for planning, making decisions, creating memories. It's what you need to function well in your day-to-day.
It's responsible for things like:
decision making
planning
making memories
How stress effects these 2 parts of the brain.
Here's the deal - the "help-you-function" part of your brain is SUPER sensitive to stress.
Through a feedback loop of neural circuits and neurotransmitters, the "Yeah I got this" brain essentially stops working + tells the "OMG there's a TIGER" brain to kick in.
So you:
You lose access to the calm, decision making, planning and action-taking part of yourself
Are forced fight, run or stop in your tracks.
Even when there is no tiger.
4 words that moved me from overwhelm to calm
Despite awesome actions like:
kickstarting my meditation program with incredible consistency
leaning (hard) into another
re-learning (and learning new info) on brain science
+ a ton of other self care
These four words make all the difference.
I used them when:
I felt stuck
Anxiety started in
Tears started to come (let me be clear. tears are necessary. my choice here at this time was to move beyond them)
I started to recognize that my "OMG There's a TIGER!" brain was kicking in
I simply said:
There is no tiger.
That's it.
There is no tiger.
There is no tiger.
There is no tiger.
The simplicity of the words was enough to tell my "OMG YES THERE IS!" brain to settle and my "I GOT THIS" brain to re-engage.
Super simple. Super effective.
There. Is. No. Tiger.
So when you're on overload.
And you start to feel:
stuck
can't make decisions
difficulty taking action
frozen
like you need to bolt
Know that you are not alone.
Your brain is doing something to protect you.
Just remind it.
There is no tiger.
Say it silently.
Say it outloud.
Say it to a friend.
Email it to me! (If you're in my email community you can email me. If not, pop your name in below. You'll get weekly goodies + access to me that you can't get online).
Overwhelm happens.
It doesn't have to last.
Try this SUPER simple trick to go from overwhelm to calm in seconds.
It works, I promise!
All my love for you,
Ashley
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