How to handle overwhelm?
George asked the following questions in a forum:
How do you deal with information overload and other forms of overwhelm?
What are some of the practices that help you come to cimplicity on the ‘other side of complexity’, without closing down and staying on this side of it?
What collective practices do you think can alleviate individual overwhelm?
My guiding principle or question is “What wants Evolution me to do?”. I’m holding that question since 2-3 years and I use it for small and big decisions. It is a translation of “Not my will, but thy will.” I’m pretty sure Evolution/Life/Love does not want us to feel overwhelmed, neither confused or guilty. All these feelings are part of our ego, and are in one way or another related to fear.
The biggest challenge for me was to become very clear and precise in choosing what events, meetings, gatherings are really the ones that I should go to; because there is so much interesting going on and so much problems to be solved. First of all I don’t focus on the problems. So I never gather with people ‘because there is some problem that needs to be solved’; I only gather when there is some opportunity for co-creating something really new. Second, in doing so, I developed an ever more finer sense of where I need to be, what I need to do. This ever evolving precision of what is my real authenticity, what is truelly my gift to the world is so important! It cannot be underestimated. And in these moments that I’m kind of overwhelmed – which is mostly being anxious that I won’t be ‘ready’ on time – I’m going to sit in silence until the inner relaxation and centering is back, even if this means that there is even less time left. I cannot function anymore when being in this ego/fear/uncertain state.
Regarding the collective practices I don’t have a clear one. I can only trust that other people do the same as I do. I mean, I hope that they do what Evolution wants them do and then I can be sure that in the end all problems, all information, all … will be covered. I don’t see another way in our highly complex world and really think that this is the way out.
The next step is to ask ourselves this same question when we are together, in whatever group we are. Even if the other people are not aware of this question I hold it in my mind and try to sense the answer. But I find myself more and more in the presence of others who are not surprised by this question and who also like to lean into the not-knowing and sometimes the answer comes pretty quickly. My experience is that if it takes too long to find the answer I better stop meeting these people.
That’s my bit of the puzzle….