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metanymous в посте Metapractice (оригинал в ЖЖ)
Finally, consider the emotional mood or feeling state you are in because of other factors that aren’t a result of the overwhelm itself. If you are tired at the end of a day, or your state is unpleasant or unresourceful, this would be an additional distracting internal input, demanding some of your attention and reducing what is available for the challenge you are facing. You can save yourself a lot of frustration if you first do something to change your state, or wait until you feel more resourceful. Some events actually need to be attended to right away, but most of the challenges that trouble us can easily be postponed for a day or two when we feel more alert and capable.
For instance, I went through several rounds of editing this article yesterday, and wanted to go through it at least one more time. But my mind was somewhat frazzled by that time, and I knew I couldn’t concentrate well, so I waited for this morning when I could read it with a fresh mind.
What can you do to change your state in a useful way when you are overwhelmed? Sometimes it is as simple as taking a short break for a stretch, a walk, to look at something beautiful, feel gratitude for something in your life, etc. At other times your feeling state may be so strong and lasting that you need to do something more to change it, A few hours of doing something you love, especially if it involves vigorous physical exercise to clear out all the bodily chemicals that are part of feeling bad, can do wonders for your state and effectiveness.
A good night’s sleep can improve your mood immeasurably. If I am tired at the end of the day, a task can seem overwhelming, but the next morning, I can clearly see what to do, and do it quickly and easily. Other people report that they function better late at night, which has always seemed very strange to me, because I am definitely a “morning person.” If you scan through your past memories you can find many examples of the importance of changing your state. If you study those examples you can learn what you did to make that happen. Then you can use that information to discover what works best for you, and apply that to the present and future, transforming hindsight into foresight.
Summary
So the next time you experience overwhelm, pause to find out how you can reduce the flow of information so that you can deal with what is most important to you in an effective way. The key aspects are to reduce external input, reduce internal input, prioritize, and make sure you are in a resourceful mood or feeling state. Teaching these skills to people who have been diagnosed as ADD or ADHD, or anyone else who has difficulty with overwhelm, can often be very, very helpful.