4 steps to manage emotions when overwhelmed 🧠

real bumped that the weekend is ending, but i hope everyone had a restful break — before we take on a new week again. i'm sure that everyone has some days when it just feels like there's way too much going on, whether it's because of the sleepless nights, frustrating situations or emotional conversations. and in the moment, you might feel like you're swamped by emotions.

moments like these often make me feel super helpless because i can't really pinpoint what caused it or what should be done to make things better, so what i realised is this: we don't have to know the answers right away, but what we can do is to tide through the moments first. calm down, let it subside, before we think again. but of course, calming down is easier said than done — so here are some tips that helped me!

01 — 🥺 recognise that you're not your usual self

i think that the most important thing to do when you feel your emotions and thoughts racing is to tell yourself this "i'm not defined by my current thoughts, these thoughts aren't all that i am".

overwhelming situations often trigger our fight-flight response where we essentially stop thinking. our body tenses, breathing gets quick and thoughts that flash by are often on impulse or due to strong emotions. recognise that this isn't what you'd usually think and:

- don't try to control it: you'll only stress yourself out more

- don't act on it: you might end up saying or doing something you'll regret after

so the best thing you can do for yourself is to take a step back and let it sink in. take a moment, remain silent and don't force anything.

02 — 😮‍💨 calm your breath to slow things down

if you keep breathing rapidly, you'll start to feel light-headed, dizzy, confused, tense and nauseous. this is what we know as feeling panicky, or anxious. when this happens, you can choose to use a technique to calm your breathing!

for me, i use slow breathing — which essentially focuses on slowing your breaths down (am i really explaining anything with this...)

1. take a deep breath through your nose (or mouth if it's too difficult)

2. send the air deep down into the base of your stomach

3. as you breathe out, slowly exhale through your nose (or mouth if it's too difficult)

4. slightly purse your lips to really slow down as you breathe out

5. take another deep breath in, counting to 3 as you do

6. pause for a moment

7. as you exhale, count to 4 (always make your exhale slightly longer than your inhale!)

8. repeat this until you feel yourself calming down.

it's a good habit to practise this daily - at the end of the day just to unwind; and so that you'll know what to do when things get rough.

03 — 👀 channel your attention anywhere else

now don't get me wrong, it's not about escaping the problem. but what we want to do is give ourselves a break before tackling it — clearing our headspace is the priority.

here, you can do something that:

- you like: anything that makes you happy and fills you with positive thoughts!

- calms you down: anything that makes you feel at peace and shuts the negative thoughts out

- distracts you: maybe just look outwards and find something that interests you?

it's really just about riding out the wave of your emotion until your thinking brain comes back online. when it does, then we know we're in a better headspace.

04 — 💭 and when you're ready, make a simple plan

once you've gotten your headspace back, be careful not to overload it again. take things step by step!

for me, i often follow this thought process:

1. why did this happen: think about what caused the episode - was it the environment, time stress, or something that somoene said?

2. how did i contribute to it: stress can sometimes be self-induced, it's important to know whether we're weighing ourselves down

3. what can i do to make things better: if it's an external source, talk it out with them. if it's internal, think about what you can do to plug the gaps.

but the bottom line to me is this: it's important to know that everyone has different thresholds. some situations might be stressful to some, some may be able to power through it — but irregardless, never blame yourself for needing a breather. just tap out if your brain's sending you the warning signs and do what's best for yourself!!

#Lemon8 #Lemon8Lifestyle #mentalhealth #lovemyself #selfcaretips #selfcare #SpillTheTea #mentalhealthawareness #productivity