59. The Thought Patterns Behind Overwhelm and Frustration

Are you acknowledging and allowing negative emotions rather than suppressing or avoiding them? There is a benefit to sitting with these emotions and examining them, rather than spiraling into negativity and overwhelm. When you do this you can gain a better understanding of your frustrations and discover different questions you can ask yourself to find solutions. Speaking from experience, I've felt frustrated and overwhelmed and initially asked myself negative and unhelpful questions that only intensified my negative emotions. However, when I took the time to sit with my feelings and explore different questions, I was able to generate a variety of ideas to address my frustration. This practice is not limited to personal experiences but can also be applied to help children manage their emotions. My daughter is dealing with anxiety and we've been guiding her through the process of allowing and describing her feelings. By doing so, she was able to calm herself down and realize that feeling the emotion was not the worst thing that could happen to her. I encourage you to reframe your thoughts and ask yourself different questions when faced with negative emotions. While taking action can be helpful, reframing thoughts is key to eliminating overwhelm, frustration, and stress. By considering how you would feel if you had already achieved the desired results, you can shift your perspective and approach your challenges with a more positive mindset. One exercise I recommend is to identify and describe the feeling. Sometimes anxiety and excitement can feel the same in the body, and by recognizing this, we can reframe our experience. For example, if we are feeling anxious about a big business goal or a life event, we can choose to see it as excitement instead. This shift in perspective can help us embrace the challenge and step into our true potential. 00:06:34 Overcome overwhelm with focused action. 00:09:48 Sit with and describe your feelings. 00:14:36 Be intentional with your time. 00:20:18 Reframe thoughts to overcome overwhelm.