Hey there, Elizabeth Scala here. The Reiki Nurse Coach extravaganza. The holistic nurse entrepreneur. The human ‘doing’? Wait, what? Human doing… I thought it was human ‘being’.

Who’s with me on this one? “I’m feeling TOTALLY OVERWHELMED!!!”

But what I want to know is this… how did I get here again?

My answer: doing.

I am a human doing. Is anyone else out there a human doing? If you’re someone who’s like me and likes to get things done, help other people, be productive, get recognized, make people happy, succeed in life, has a strong work ethic, aims to please, etc. etc. etc…. You may find yourself in the category of human ‘doing’. And guess what that leads to?

Ding, ding, ding, ding! (Tell them what they’ve won Charlie!) OVERWHELM

So I’m sitting here today, with a HUGELY long list of ‘things to do’. I am about to get on a call with my project coordinator, Yoneco Evans (who rocks by the way… y’all should check out her work). I have a load of laundry on the bed, waiting to be folded. I have two dogs on the front porch, looking to run. I have dinner to make. I have an AHNA meeting tonight. I have, I have, I have.

Ok everyone, STOP!

Here are 3 tips to shifting overwhelm into over-joy:

1. Just leave it all behind. All of the tasks, all of the ‘doing’, just leave it. As I wrote above, we are human beings not human doings. If you feel stuck, frustrated, trapped, and yes- overwhelmed- you can’t create anything productive. To work from that energy is actually counter-productive. So leave it all, let go, and go do something FUN!
2. Ask for help. This one is HUGE. Many of you reading, like me, want to do it all yourselves. Wipe that pride off of your shoulder and go get some support. Your spouse, children, siblings, friends, neighbors, and even professionals in your network… they are there to help you. You help them; let them help you.
3. Instead of overwhelm, how about gratitude? Through shifting your perspective of things you can actually come to appreciate all that you have to do. Like this: at least you have a job; at least you have your health; at least you have so many things to get done. View every little detail from a place of appreciation and you will shift from overwhelm to overjoyed.

Finally, I’d like to leave you with this video clip. Yes, it is about a guy that is so overtaken and in love with a beautiful girl… but as I watched a new and hidden message became clear to me:

View overwhelm as a positive. Look at overwhelm as overtaken with joy. Find joy in every little thing. 

And finally, when stuck in overwhelm, just go out and engage in something FUN. Shift that negative feeling to a positive, uplifting, and energizing one. This video shares some really great examples (bowling, miniature golf, beautiful flowers, a buggy ride). Instead of sitting there stuck in overwhelm get out there and have some FUN! What will you do for FUN today? Let’s hear it below…