We all have so much going on in our busy lives, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The news, unexpected life events, and just regular life can sometimes feel like too much to handle. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, here are some tips to help you feel calm and restore your inner peace:
1. Practice Grounding Techniques
Take a moment from whatever you are doing and focus on your breath. Slow down, pause, and remind yourself that you don’t need to make any immediate decisions right now. You don’t have to act in urgency or be reactive. Give yourself a pause to slow down, get out of your own head, and into your body. Tap into your 5 senses to ground yourself and find stability.
What are 5 things you see around you?
What are 4 things you can touch near you?
What are 3 things you can hear?
What are 2 things you can smell?
What is 1 thing you can taste?
2. Practice Mindfulness
Focus on the here and now. Become self-aware of your own feelings, thoughts, immediate environment, current situation, and those around you without judgment. Just observe. Focus on what’s actually happening around you rather than focusing on what’s not in the here & now or what’s created in your head. Be present in your current reality and let go of the past and future.
3. What is In Your Control?
Focus on what’s in your control and let go of what’s not in your control. What are your immediate needs? What is actually within your grasp? What is not in your control?
4. Prioritize
Focus on the most important and most urgent tasks first (based on deadlines, level of importance, etc.). If the tasks aren’t urgent, get back to them later. Break down the highest priority tasks into smaller, more manageable steps that are within reach and easier to chew. Write it down if that helps, and cross each small step off the list as you go.
5. Show Yourself Compassion
Give yourself the grace to be who you are and do what you can handle. It’s OK to not do everything for everyone. It’s OK to take it one step at a time. It’s OK that you might not get everything done on your to-do list right now. Show yourself some love, patience, acceptance, and compassion. Let go of perfectionism. Let go of unrealistic expectations and just be.
You Deserve Inner Peace
Sometimes we feel stressed out and overwhelmed, but it is possible to find inner peace. Give yourself permission to prioritize your needs, including seeking mental health care. Therapy can help you gain the tools to be calm and find inner peace. Dr. Violante provides teletherapy (online video therapy) to adults living in Florida and New York, as well as all PsyPact enrolled states (listed below). Contact her online or call (754) 333-1484 to request a HIPAA compliant teletherapy session.
Offering Online Therapy in 42 States
I am a licensed psychologist in the states of Florida and New York. Additionally, I have Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) from the PSYPACT Commission. I provide telehealth (online video therapy) to adults living in the 42 participating PSYPACT states listed below. For a list of current PSYPACT participating states, please visit the PSYPACT website at: https://www.psypact.org/psypactmap.
PsyPact enrolled states:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming