Chudography

Sometimes it’s not one big thing that leaves us feeling overwhelmed.

It’s 15 little things.

Reply to that message.
Book that appointment.
Pick something up.
Send that email.
Remember to call someone.
Sort that thing you’ve been meaning to sort for three weeks.

None of them feels particularly difficult on its own.

But when we’re trying to hold all of them in our head, our mind keeps bringing them back to us:

Don’t forget this.
You still need to do that.
Oh, and remember this too.

Suddenly, it feels like we’re carrying far more than we realised.

I notice this in myself. Sometimes simply writing everything down changes how I feel.

Nothing on the list has actually been done.

But I no longer have to work so hard to remember it.

And that creates space.

I think we sometimes underestimate how tiring it can be to carry lots of unfinished little things.

So if your head feels unusually full today, maybe ask yourself: what am I trying not to forget?

How good are you at doing absolutely nothing?

I don’t mean watching TV while scrolling on your phone.

Or sitting down while mentally working through tomorrow’s to-do list.

I mean actually stopping.

I’ve realised that when you’ve spent years being busy, productive, achieving, helping other people and thinking about what needs doing next, stillness can feel surprisingly uncomfortable.

We often say:

“I’m just not very good at relaxing.”

But maybe that’s not the whole story.

Maybe we’ve simply become so used to doing that we’ve forgotten what it feels like to just be.

And perhaps instead of judging ourselves for finding it difficult, we could become curious about why.

So I’m curious…

Could you sit and do absolutely nothing for 10 minutes today?

When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, my instinct can be to keep going.

To get more done.
To push through.
To sort everything out.

But I’ve learnt that sometimes the most productive thing I can do is actually stop.

Lie down.
Breathe.
Give myself a little space.

Not because a few deep breaths magically make the stress disappear, but because slowing down gives me the chance to notice what’s actually happening.

What am I feeling?

What do I need?

What really needs my attention right now?

For me, that pause can change everything. I feel clearer, more present and better able to decide what comes next.

Sometimes doing less for a moment helps us deal with everything else a little better.

What helps you when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed?

southcoute

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that people often come to see me saying,

“I’m just tired.”

And sometimes they are.

But sometimes, as we begin talking, “I’m tired” starts to mean something much bigger.

“I’m overwhelmed.”

“I’ve been carrying too much for too long.”

“I don’t know how to switch off.”

“I don’t feel like myself anymore.”

It’s not that people are hiding how they feel.

Sometimes they simply haven’t found the words for it yet.

That’s one of the reasons I share stories on here.

Not to tell you how you feel.

But to help you find words for experiences that can be difficult to explain.

If you’ve been feeling “just tired” for a while, perhaps it’s worth becoming curious about what those words really mean for you.

Craniosacral Therapy

I think many of us have become incredibly good at carrying things.

Busy lives.

Responsibility.

Stress.

Worry.

The expectations we put on ourselves.

The expectations we think other people have of us.

We carry them because life doesn’t stop. So we keep going.

But sometimes our body starts to let us know it’s carrying more than it comfortably can.

Not because it’s working against us.

But because it’s trying to get our attention.

I’ve learnt that there’s a big difference between getting through life and feeling okay.

That’s why I’m trying to become better at noticing when life feels heavy, rather than waiting until my body has no choice but to shout.

I’m not always good at it.

But awareness gives us a choice.

And sometimes, that’s where change begins.

Have you ever caught yourself carrying more than you realised?

Craniosacral Therapy