Lots of fast talking. An excitable, anxious feeling of having too much to do. Feeling like you’re skittering all over the place. Without direction.
You know…that feeling of being overwhelmed.
Been there? Yep.
This was a week where I was peppered with overwhelmed clients.
None of us—me included—seem to love this feeling of being overwhelmed, without direction, feeling like you have a ball of things to do with no idea where the starting point is.
May I reframe?
Because it’s not what you think it is.
This is actually the feeling of being transformed. We just cannot recognize what is happening at the time.
While we’re in the midst of staying afloat, it’s just about impossible for us to see the ocean we are being carried into.
You’re struggling with the pain of change—in this case transformation—from where you have been into the next large step of where you want to go. The discomfort comes from your growth, like a crab’s shell tightens before it must be shed so the crab can grow bigger.
Your fist is being pried loose, and you cannot imagine or see what will fill your palm once it is opened.
Now instead of fighting this frustrated feeling of overwhelm, recognize it for what it is: you, the crab, in the middle of shedding your shell to transform into something bigger.
Go forth and do great things,
Martha Hanlon and Chris Williams