Here we are. Staring ourselves straight in the eyes. Wondering what’s next.

Our jaw hangs wide open in disbelief as more and more information is shoveled down our gullet. We reach maximum capacity, only to learn that our perceived limit for consumption has just been surpassed - the news, media, infographics, and more don’t stop. We’re consuming more knowledge than we ever thought possible.

Our eyes are glued to the horror of what we’re learning. We are being forced to digest the reality of our society’s injustices, to see our glaring structural flaws, to see how we’re permanently disfiguring the livability of our Earth. We come face-to-face with numbers such as the death of “1 million species.” We viscerally feel the effects of children being ripped from their mothers’ arms. We have become keenly aware of the way we are built as a collective and it’s not pretty. We witness the same patterns of abuse, greed, neglect and incompetence perpetuated over and over again. When will it stop?

Wired, fried and dizzy, we slide our iPhone away from our face, our brain still processing what we just saw, our eyes adjusting to the material world.

*Sigh*

The overwhelm.

The energy of what we just read begins to move from our head down into our body. Our pupils dilate, heart is picking up speed, muscles tense and ready. Our body is firing on all cylinders - it’s time to act! The time is now! Let’s channel this rage into its respective purpose.

So we begin to look around. Looking around for the place of purpose to channel our experience into. We search high and low in the matrix of options outside of us. Advocacy work, policy change, community service. We try and try, yet the outlets just don’t seem to match the need. We call our Senators, put money towards ethical shops, eat locally. Still no real budge. So we look inside ourselves, inside our relationships and community for meaning, an explanation, an outlet. Resisting resignation to the reality of our world, resisting seeing it as broken. Despite our efforts, in our darkest hours we collapse over ourself in shame, as the activated body energy becomes too much to bear. Feeling like there’s no place to put it, we float back up into our heads, turn on the TV, and escape into the cloud; letting that burning energy within subside as we hold our breath and keep our fingers crossed that the fires outside in world also go dim.

*Sigh*

This energy, this burning desire to create change is here for a reason, along with the piles of information that serve as its fuel. May we collectively release the holding of our breath and come together in community to create the containers we need to process and channel it all. May we come together to learn how to sit in the fire of this point in time, using our breath to observe what mysteries lie underneath its surface; attuning ourselves to a new way of listening. May we use the overwhelm to recover a lost connection that’s at the heart of our global issues, and that can only be found when we allow the debris of the disorientation to run its course of confusion and settle into a new orientation.

What exactly is overwhelm?

There are times when we can feel such an intensity of emotions that it can only be described as overwhelm.

In our fast-paced, complicated world, feelings of overwhelm are common. It can happen from reading the news, thinking about the future, reckoning with the devastation of war, figuring out how to be a decent human, and so much more.

Overwhelm is a state of being flooded by intense, difficult emotions to the point that we’re unable to manage them. When this happens it can be hard to think clearly, act rationally or even go about our day-to-day tasks.

This is because when big emotions like rage, grief or terror overwhelm us our brain turns to protective mechanisms like dissociation or anxiety to keep us from feeling them. It’s like our brain goes, “Nope.” And finds creative ways to protect us by resorting to defenses and inhibitory emotions.

Feeling overwhelmed is our system saying to us “this is too much.” It then becomes our job to learn how to listen and take steps to support ourselves. Do so with my Emotions 101 with Yoga course.

What do I do when I feel overwhelm?

1. Learn to recognize when it is happening

Cultivate an awareness of what overwhelm looks like for you so you can recognize it when it happens. Feelings of overwhelm, similar to anxiety, often manifest as dizziness, exhaustion, sensations of having an out-of-body experience. It can result in headaches or digestive issues. Tightness in the chest, neck and jaw.

2. Slowww down

Slowing down in the face of overwhelm gives your mind and body an opportunity to catch up to itself. Step away from what you are doing. Take a few deep breaths. See if you can notice your feet on the floor. Slowing down helps you begin to tune into yourself so you can assess what is happening and give yourself what you need.

3. Validate what you feel

Emotions like to be named and validated. Name the fact that you are feeling overwhelmed, and do it with self-warmth. Practice placing judgment aside and lovingly say to yourself, “You are feeling overwhelmed. That totally makes sense. You just read about ____ [fill in the blank].” Feeling overwhelmed about the state of the world is super normal and an understandable experience.

4. Create a lot of space

Because overwhelm happens when you feel one or more intense emotions at the same time, see if you can create a lot of space for what you feel so the emotions can untangle themselves. You can imagine a bubble of energy around you widening out and up to give you more space for the emotions. Once you do so you can work with each emotion individually.

5. Untangle the emotions

From there, sense into what you feel and see if you can identify a given emotion within the overwhelm, like anger, for instance. Create an imaginary bucket or basket somewhere in that bubble of energy where that anger can go. Keep creating dedicated spaces for each emotion so you can care for each one individually.

6. Limit media consumption

While it's essential to stay informed, consuming too much news and media can lead to burnout and increased feelings of helplessness. Learn to set boundaries on your media consumption to care for yourself and protect your mental health. Use experiences of overwhelm to learn what your boundaries are, when information overload becomes too much. Use this awareness to set healthy limits so you can continue to engage with the world constructively.

7. Connect with others

Turn to like-minded friends, family, or community groups who share your concerns for support. Having a support system can help you feel less isolated and provide opportunities for collective healing. Turn to a We Heal For All Circle or learn how to start your own.

8. Find purposeful action

In a world that feels out of control, what is within your circle of control? Identify meaningful ways to contribute to positive change in your life. This could look like volunteering, donating to causes you care about, or engaging in activism. Choose activities that align with your values and strengths.

Your feelings are your superpower

Overwhelm is our mind and body communicating something to us. It becomes our job to learn how to listen. Both for our own well-being and mental health, so we can stay grounded and healthy in our rapidly changing world. And also for our roles as change makers, helpers and healers to the world. So we can show up whole-heartedly and be of service to the times of change we live in.

Go deep on how to support the very normal feelings of overwhelm you feel with my online course, Empower yourself, dear feeler: Emotions 101 with Yoga. Emotional mindfulness techniques, meditations, yoga practices, and frameworks for understanding your emotions.

The overwhelm…8 tips for dealing with the world

What exactly is overwhelm?

What do I do when I feel overwhelm?