There can be so much distraction and stimuli around you in your daily life

And you can get overwhelmed easily. Your body can give you signals such as headaches, dizziness, feeling restless, feeling tired, or feeling restless and tired at the same time, when you are getting overwhelmed.The best thing is to prevent becoming overwhelmed. But if you are already overwhelmed then it’s important to take your time to recover.

What can you do to avoid becoming overwhelmed ?

• For me it is very important to have a good night’s sleep and to eat healthy. When I have had an unhealthy dinner I feel more tired the next day and when I’m tired I get overwhelmed faster. And I know that if I had a bad night of sleep, or if I went to bed very late, that I will feel more tired the next day. If I’m well rested in general I can take it, but if I was already tired I know I need to take my time to recover. Normally this means one day of binge watching something casually, reading a book and listening to chill music. And the next day I normally feel a bit better, but I still take things easy.

• Avoid wasting your time on social media. Once you’re scrolling, you can keep scrolling. And then my mind is filled with information I don’t need or want. But don’t get me wrong, I go on social media too to find certain information or to watch a youtube video I find interesting. But I don’t want to get caught up in that aimless scrolling behavior. Use it in a way that lifts you up and does not take you down.

• In general I think it’s good to avoid getting distracted by your phone. I check whatsapp and email 2 / 3 times a day and I have turned off all my notifications. If there is something I can’t miss, then I set my alarm or the notification in my calendar is on. My whatsapp chats are all on mute, except the chats with my husband and daughter. And I have their chats as a widget on my homescreen, so I don’t get distracted by other unread messages.

• Avoid filling your mind with negativity and misery. For instance, for me it is not healthy to read the news. It’s not that I deny what is going on. But I want to focus on things that I can make better and where I can be helpful. In general I try to focus on the beauty and righteous things in life. Like I said, I don’t deny things, but I don’t tend to give it my attention. The scripture Philippians 4:8 is very helpful, ‘…. whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these things’.

• I also avoid crowded and loud places. I won’t go shopping on a Saturday afternoon, but I prefer a Tuesday morning. Or I order things online. When I do have to go to a loud and/or crowded place, like an airport,  then I wear my headphones and put on my chill music playlist to disconnect from the surrounding stimuli.

• If you want to go out for dinner it might be good to choose a restaurant with a nice acoustic and calm ambiance where you can enjoy your dinner and have a nice conversation.

• Animals can have a healing effect on you. I cuddle with our cats a lot (probably more than they want me too)! They are our furry family members. And of course I go to my horses, Troy & Alfi, everyday. I take my time with them and just be with them. I’m not saying to you should get a pet to make you feel better, just that being around animals can have a healing effect.

• Being outside in and around nature is well known for being good for your mental health. I go out horse riding in nature 3 / 4 times a week and when I’m not riding I’m still in and around nature with my horses when we go for a walk or graze. But you don’t need a horse to be in and around nature. You can go for a hike. Or you can create a green area on your balcony or garden, where you can read a nice book.

• Spending some time alone can also be important to charge your battery. I enjoy sitting in our garden and reading a good book or I meditate to relax my mind and thoughts.

• Like many sensitive people I find too much small talk exhausting and I try to avoid that. I can do small talk, I do it very easily, but it doesn’t give me energy at all.

• And I try to avoid meeting groups of people. I feel more energetic when it is just 1 or 2 persons that I’m meeting, than a group of people. Then there are too many stimuli to process.

• Focus on the present.  Most of the time when you worry it’s about the past or the future. But when you are present you are usually just fine. And I know how hard this one is! It’s a process, but you keep getting better and better in it if you keep practicing.

• What is also important for me (and also my husband and daughter) is an empty calendar, no fully planned weekends.

For every bullet point above I can probably write a whole blog (maybe I will, someday :)). But I hope some of these things can give you a bit of encouragement.