Overwhelmed? Hold Things ‘Lightly’ – Pt 1
One way to diminish overwhelm is to hold things lightly. This is something I learned from my coach, Dr. Joelle Jay of Pillar Consulting. When we first started working together several years ago, she would hear me talking about all the things I had to do, everything I was working on, how worn out I was, and, well, you know the litany. She would sometimes ask, “Meggin, what if you held these things lightly?”
Her voice would be light as she asked it. Then I’d start to think about what it would feel like it if I held the tasks, commitments, projects, etc. ‘lightly.’ It made a difference.
Think about this for yourself. If you’re seeing your to-do list, your job, your family, and the things that you’re responsible for as an enemy and you’re holding everything so tightly that you’re all bound up and tense, that’s completely different than Joelle’s phrase of ‘hold it lightly.’
Holding things lightly involves a mental shift and a ‘reframing’ of how you are perceiving that which seems to be weighing you down. As Charlotte Bronte said, “A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.” See what you can hold lightly…and then see if you sleep better with the softer, lighter, and more buoyant pillow this provides.
What Does It Mean to ‘Hold Things Lightly’?
Here’s what it is not:
- Holding things tightly.
- Holding things fearfully.
- Holding things in a stingy manner.
- Holding things with clenched jaws.
- Holding things with a standard of perfection hanging over your head.
- Holding things rigidly.
- Holding things as burdens.
- Holding things with worry.
- Holding things ___________.
Think about this concept today…are you holding things lightly…or one of these other ways? (More about this tomorrow)…
And if the heaviness of your responsibilities, life, burdens, job, and more…are just some of the areas that overwhelm you – and you would like to be ‘just whelmed,’ then you’re invited to join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin’s weekly emails (free!) at
**I Want to Be Just Whelmed (http://www.JustWhelmed.com)
If you would prefer quick, short weekly tips, then the following site is another place to find suggestions and other tools to support you in your quest for peaceful productivity:
**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)
(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!
Tags: hold lightly, Joelle Jay, overwhelmed, Pillar Consulting
No comments 
Category: