A few weeks ago, I had a live Google hangout call with my Inner Circle ladies and we were discussing overwhelm and how to deal with it practically.

I know that as a working mum you will experience overwhelm but the key is recognising immediately when you are overwhelmed and dealing with it there and then. That’s what Super Working Mums do.

A lot of women when they feel overwhelmed tend to overlook it and instead of unplugging they bury themselves with more work, more activities and then get more stressed, cranky with their loved ones- husband and children and then feel guilty and frustrated. Well I know I have experienced this. If this is you keep reading as these tips might help.

Some weeks ago I felt really overwhelmed, in fact I didn’t realise I was overwhelmed till I went to the bathroom and found myself crying… It was like a mini panic attack. I knew I had to do something.

Here was what I did that helped.

I took a walk.

I got some fresh air and I used that opportunity to call on God to help me. I felt led to call a mentor of mine to share my frustration and I felt better after talking with her. She suggested I take the following day off just to unplug and get my mind right.

I took time off work & social media.

I decided to take the following day off work and social media. I decided it was time for a break, to take care of me. I found a spa voucher I have been meaning to use and called in and booked myself a massage for the following day.

I bought a fiction book.

I got a Christian romantic book written by my girl Unoma Nkwankor on Amazon Kindle- When You Let Go . I wanted a light read instead of all the business books and blogs I had been reading.. you know…something easy and sweet to read. I starting read it that evening after my children were in bed.

I took it easy and focused on self care.

The following morning I took it easy, nice and slow. I had my time with the Lord, updated my Facebook groups on the activities for the day so I could get that out of the way and then unplugged. I later on went in for my massage (loved it), stayed for lunch and wrote some prayers down in my journal. I also finished reading Unoma’s When You Let Go. Very interesting read by the way- a story about love and forgiveness. I recommend it. You can get it here.

It was a day just for me and I am glad I took time off from work. I felt so much better afterwards, cleared my mind and made a decision on something that had been nagging my mind.

I know you might think you do not have the luxury of taking a day off when you feel overwhelmed but my sincere advice is find a way to unplug for some time.

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Take a prayer walk, listen to uplifting music, do some running, lock yourself up in your bathroom so children don’t disturb, get a nice easy fiction book and read (there are lots of Christian fiction authors out there, which is what I would go for)

Where possible, get your husband or someone to watch the kids while you take some hours, a day, two days just for you.

When you feel overwhelmed especially when you feel like you are choking, do whatever it is you can to take a break for as long as you need because it will help you.

• You will come back with a clear mind
• You will feel much better and
• You will be able to make wise decisions on the next step.

This is not the time to take on more, but the time to do less and just BE.

In fact overwhelm was one of the reasons why I started the SWM retreats, so women can take time away from their everyday life. All the positive feedback I have received about the retreats prove that mothers need time away to recharge.

I hope sharing my experience has helped you and giving you some practical ways you can deal with overwhelm. I will also like to share my new ebook with you which can help with overwhelm: Journaling For Personal Growth, 9 Busy Christian Mothers Share How Journaling transformed their lives 

Discover how you can move from a state of Stress & Overwhelm to A Place of Balance, Calm and Peace through the POWER of journaling.

My ebook is available to download for free before 1^st of Sept 2015

GRAB YOUR COPY BY CLICKING THIS LINK 

Please share this blog post with your friends.

So when you feel overwhelmed how do you deal with it? Leave a comment and let me know.