Do you feel Overwhelm creeping in? Are you juggling too much trying to work, educate your kids (if you have), manage your household chores, and keep your head above water? Are you forgetting to look after yourself or just don't have any time or energy left at the end of the day for you? Does each day seem to fly by and then you wake up the next day and do it all again?

If this is you then stop.....take a deep breath in......hold it.......and let it out.

I usually find Overwhelm creeps in when I let Life get too busy and forget to nourish myself. My husband used to tell me that I was like a swan, calm and serene on the outside but paddling frantically underneath the surface. There has to be Balance in Life. You can't go at 200mph all the time as you will end up running on fumes at some point. When we feel Overwhelmed, it is usually because we feel deprived somewhere in our Life. Answer the following questions (from Cheryl Richardson's The Art of Extreme Self Care):

• Where do I feel deprived?

• What do I need more of right now?

• What do I need less of right now?

• What do I want?

• Who or what is making me feel resentful and why?

I also find that Overwhelm is a sign telling me that I need to pay more attention to my own needs. We can't keep giving all the time without replenishing ourselves and topping up our emotional and energetic bank accounts. Sometimes we do need to ask for help and receive help when it is offered. By nurturing yourself and doing things that make you feel good, you create reserves in your emotional bank account. So when you do go through a difficult patch, you are better able to cope if you have some reserves.

I have found that the following 3 things greatly help with getting me out of Overwhelm:

1. Plan and get organised - have a plan for your week and that doesn't mean you have to be rigid and stick to it to the letter. Just having an idea of what you would like to achieve gives you something to focus on so you aren't floating aimlessly everyday. You will have days when nothing goes according to plan and you need to reschedule, and that's OK. I like to download my brain on the weekend with everything I want to do the following week. I then allocate tasks to each day, making sure I do something from my fun list everyday. I also find it helps to plan meals for the month so that is something I don't have to think about every day. I usually just use a calender printout from Outlook for my monthly plan.

2. Get enough sleep - try and get to bed by 22h00 and let yourself unwind an hour before bed by switching off devices and doing something relaxing. Being well rested means you will be able to get up feeling clearer and more energised and will be able to focus on what you need to do each day.

3. Do something for yourself everyday - this is really important. Value your own needs and make time for yourself everyday. Use the template to create a list of things you love to do or bring you joy and do something from that list everyday. Plan your self care into your day like you would an appointment. You can start small and build it up, making it a habit. If you have children, this is super important as we need to teach our children that it is good to look after ourselves and children imitate what they are exposed to. Start giving them good habits at a young age.

What part of your Life do you feel Overwhelmed with?

I would love to hear from you, so if you are struggling with Overwhelm and are lacking fun and balance in your life let me know.

With love,