When everything feels like too much
Overwhelm isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s simply the feeling that your brain has too many tabs open and none of them will stop making noise.
On days like that, I often walk.
Not a power walk. Not a step-count challenge. Not another workout I have to win. Just a walk.
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, staying in exactly the same place and trying to think harder rarely helps me. Stepping outside gives me a break from the screen, the jobs and the internal list of everything I think I should be doing.
And the walk doesn’t have to be long. Ten minutes can be enough for me to create a little space between the feeling of everything is too much and deciding what actually needs my attention next.
The walk doesn’t need another goal
I notice my breathing. I notice the weather. I look at what’s happening around me rather than only at what’s happening inside my head.
I usually come back with exactly the same life and exactly the same to-do list. The difference is that I often feel more able to deal with it.
Walking isn’t a cure for anxiety, stress or poor mental health, and sometimes we need much more support than a pair of trainers can provide. But as a simple way to step away for a few minutes, a short walk is one of the tools I find useful.
If it’s less about having too much to do and more that your mind feels permanently switched on, I’ve also talked about how to calm a frantic mind when everything feels urgent.
Make the first step deliberately small
If today feels too full, don’t turn the walk into another thing you have to achieve.
Put your shoes on. Step outside. Give yourself ten minutes with no target beyond getting a little breathing room.
You can decide what comes next when you get back.
Fancy getting out of your own head for a bit?
Sometimes the easiest way to start is simply to have somewhere to go. Come and join Linnie for a walk.