What if feeling overwhelmed isn’t a problem to solve, but a perpetual state we need to learn to live with differently?
It seems to me that many of us are feeling overwhelmed these days—and I mean really overwhelmed. One friend recently renovated a new flat herself (with help from her cousin) whilst battling both Covid and tonsillitis. Another friend is helping her Ukrainian aunt and cousin resettle in Barcelona. A third has been largely homebound with her gorgeous one-year-old daughter. A fourth is trying to orchestrate a career shift while working 12-hour days.
Personally, I am juggling a ton of life admin that feels small in comparison to what my friends are facing but seems to consume my days – wrapping up ten years at McKinsey, setting up a new business, negotiating contracts, trying to clear out some old furniture that no one seems to want, even for free, trying to be a good partner to R while he’s here from The Hague.
This month’s poem, by Jaan Kaplinski, has been helping me maintain perspective this week. Life will never be completed – we will always be in the midst of what may feel like a never-ending to-do list. If we’re not, many of us dream up something new to do. One friend shared with me that she and her husband were deciding whether to try to have a third child, saying “if not, then I need to find another project!” I asked why – why, when she already was so busy that we had rescheduled our catch-up three times, was she looking for more to do?
Whether our busy-ness is of our own making, or whether we are facing down a storm that is descending upon us, we can always look up and notice the broader world beyond our never-ending list of tasks. We can marvel at the spring, at the songs of birds, at the evening sunset. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I go for a short walk and notice how the light illuminates the new green leaves blossoming on the trees. If I can’t muster the energy for a walk, I lay on my sofa and watch clouds pass by in the sky.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try taking a moment to look up and appreciate all the majesty around you. While it won’t magically make your obligations disappear, it may provide some respite for your soul.
