Say 'beat it' to overwhelm & let your heart shine

You know that feeling you get from doing something for someone else just because you feel from the depths of your heart & soul it's the right thing to do? Why does that have to be a fleeting feeling? Why can't we tap into that every day of our lives?

Last weekend, after I dropped off 3 huge duffel bags of clothing donations, I felt that feeling fade away as I drove home. I started to think of everything else I had to do to become waste free instead of cherishing the moment. Because I felt compelled to write about this, I have this feeling I'm not the only one on this planet that is plagued by the constant need to keep moving forward, of constantly looking into the future of what has to get done to attain our end goal, our dream or multiple dreams.

What's interesting is that the whole time that I was going through my closet, creating massive piles on the floor of my bedroom of what to keep & not to keep, I tapped into this magical space of deep consideration for others. When I came to each piece of clothing, I began asking myself if this particular piece was going to be of better use to me or to someone out there in the world, trying to survive a cold night, a rain storm, a sweltering hot day or whether it would make someone else feel extra special to have the opporunity to wear it (like a fancy dress for a dance or date). I felt completely connected to my true self & it was so refreshing & revitalizing!

But as I mentioned earlier, the feeling did not last long for me. As soon as I dropped off the bags of clothes, I got so caught up in the overwhelm of how much more I needed to do to become a Waste Free Warrior. By allowing myself to get wrapped up in my anxious thoughts & energy, I immediately tapped out of the magical space of acting from my heart.

And I don't believe I'm alone in this.

How do we stay in that space of acting from the heart? Here are a few steps I learned that helped me:

1) The first step is noticing that it's happening! Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths & ask yourself "Am I acting from my heart or my head right now?" Listen & the answer will reveal itself to you. In my experience, if you're acting from the head, you'll be thinking thinking thinking: about the future, about the past, about a lot! Your head will feel like it's spinning at times.

2) Forgive yourself. This has been a really important step for me when I find myself stepping out entirely of my heart & into my head. When we have been wrapped around overwhelm's little finger for a long time, it takes a while to undo that pattern of thinking & acting. So forgive yourself, be thankful that you are now aware of it happening & be grateful that you are slowly undoing this pattern.

3) Write it down, draw it out, dance it away...whatever you need to do to get all those whirling thoughts out of your head, do it. Options are writing it all down on paper or typing it out on your computer, drawing your thoughts or emotions (I like to draw mandalas as I find it very meditative & releasing for me), or use movement to make sense of it all & let it all go (dancing is so great for this!)

4) Reflect. After you have written everything out, drawn or danced (or even all three!), take a moment to sit with all that you have released. Breathe deeply & become aware to whatever you are feeling: happiness, freedom, lightness or perhaps you feel more mind chatter...if so, do this process over & over until you feel lighter & more in tune with your true self. This step is mandatory in my mind, because without reflection you will continue the pattern of getting stuck in your head & allow overwhelm to come back time & time again. The more time you spend making room for your heart to be expressed, the easier it becomes to express from & act from the heart.

::sigh of relief::

Don't you feel better now? I know I do! Comment below if you found this helpful, I'd love to hear your thoughts.