Ground & Navigate Overwhelm

Understanding:

You're experiencing overwhelm as both mental racing and physical tension, with thoughts like 'I'm drowning' that may be intensifying the struggle. Fighting against these feelings might be making it harder to access your ability to focus and be present.

Mindfulness & Defusion Strategies:

• •Practice mindful breathing into the tense areas of your body, allowing the tension to be there without trying to fix it
• •Notice the 'drowning' thought as a mental event: 'I'm having the thought that I'm drowning'
• •Ground yourself using the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: notice 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, etc.

Values & Committed Action Strategies:

• •Identify one core value that matters to you right now: Is it self-care? Presence? Contribution to others?
• •Choose one tiny value-driven action you can take with the overwhelm present: drink water mindfully, step outside, or text someone you care about
• •Practice willingness: 'I'm willing to feel overwhelmed while taking one small step toward what matters'

Motivational Insight:

Overwhelm is like a storm - intense but temporary. You don't have to wait for it to pass to take small, meaningful actions. Your willingness to act while the storm is present is where your strength lies.