Utilizing Movement to Manage Overwhelm
Ivy Griffin
Being a highly sensitive person has its benefits and its challenges. You might find that you experience high levels of internal rewards from simple pleasures like the sound of rain against your window, the smell of fresh laundry, or the softness of your favorite worn-out t-shirt. But by the same token, you might also experience extreme overwhelm from what others may consider small disruptions in your environment, the daily news cycle, or even the moods and emotions of others.
When we experience feelings of overwhelm, our first intuition may be to shut down. We want things to feel less intense so we may retreat, and while this may be the right answer in some situations, we may find it doesn’t always do the trick. In these times, it can be helpful to tune in to our bodies. I’ve noticed that when I feel overwhelmed, I might experience my pulse quicken and increased tension and body temperature--almost like I’m just full of adrenaline! So what can we do when we feel this way?
When the typical relaxation techniques aren’t working, sometimes we just need to move!
Walking -- I have found walking to be extremely therapeutic in times of high stress. The rhythm of walking can help us to pace our thoughts and release tension and stress we might be holding. Not able to go outside? Perhaps think about investing in some exercise equipment. I have a very tiny studio and a foot elliptical was just the thing for me.
Cleaning -- It may not sound like the funnest of activities but sometimes it’s nice to channel all that adrenaline into something we needed to get done anyway. Straightening up our home environments can also act as a vicarious way of sorting through our emotions, which can feel quite “messy” at times. As we clean, we can imagine scrubbing away self-judgment or sorting through old feelings and deciding what we’d like to let go of.
Dancing -- This is my all time favorite way of releasing overwhelm. I will admit I am NOT always super excited about the idea of “exercise” and so turning on some of my favorite tunes and just allowing myself to move freely is just what I need. Dancing and making music is an extremely healing practice that has been used for thousands of years. It can also help us to tap into emotion that we might have difficulty expressing verbally and can just be a wonderful way of increasing our overall sense of well-being.
I hope this list gets you thinking of your own ways of moving that might help you to deal with overwhelm. While these can be great ways to respond to overwhelm, it can also be helpful to think about adding them to your everyday routine as a preventative measure. And if you need more support handling overwhelm, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
AMFT #99821
Supervised by Ivy Griffin, LMFT #51714
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