Shifting Overwhelm
by Michael Feeley
Some mornings I wake up and the day already feels like too much before my feet hit the floor. Overwhelm has a way of arriving like that—loud, vague, and convincing.
But I’ve come to recognize it for what it really is: resistance, rearing its stressful, noisy, defeating head.
Resistance doesn’t show up to attack weakness—it shows up when I’m close to achieving a goal, a breakthrough, success itself. So when overwhelm hits hard, I’ve learned to ask:
What is this really telling me?
Where’s the gratitude in overwhelm?
What opportunity is present?
Take paying bills. The stack arrives, the numbers loom, and for a moment, it feels like too much. But here’s the shift: if I have the money and the time to sit down and do the accounting, that’s not a burden—that’s gratifying. The resistance was just noise around a quiet truth: I’m fine. Better than fine. The work I’ve done is working. I can be proud of my success, and hopefully, more is coming.
I’m also learning I don’t have to carry everything alone. Asking for help isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom, and often relief.
Overwhelm and gratitude can sit in the same moment, along with joy and even enchantment.
Now, when overwhelm rises, I don’t shrink. I get curious.
What is it protecting me from seeing?
What is it holding me back from achieving?
How is it guiding me forward towards what I want and need?
Thanks – Michael (he, him)
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This also matters – What Can Stress Teach Us.
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