Living our best life.

It's good to be alive, but it's best to truly live.

Let your spirit fly.

Celebrate the journey every single day.

Aging with grace and style in our own special way.

Have you ever thought that being overwhelmed.

Might actually be a sign of something good?

It's a bit of a twist, right?

We usually see overwhelm as something negative, something to escape from.

But I.

What if it's a marker that you're stepping into new growth and pushing your boundaries?

Today, I'm gonna take you on a little journey to rethink how we view overwhelm.

And, of course, I'll share some practical tips to help you get through it when it feels like it's too much.

Hey, friend.

Ever feel like those old fashioned ideas about aging?

Just if you're ready to own this incredible chapter with grace, style, and a touch of sass, this is your space.

Welcome to the Aging with Grayson Style podcast.

I'm Valerie Hatcher, and I'm here with empowering tips, inspiring stories, and a whole lot of fun just for us women over 50.

So grab your favorite beverage, turn up.

The volume, and let's get started.

Today we're talking about something that I've.

Been struggling with myself.

Overwhelm.

But instead of diving straight into ways.

To fix it, I want to offer a different perspective.

Now, let me be real with you.

I've been feeling overwhelmed lately.

It's one of those seasons where it feels like everything is happening all at once.

Between managing my content creation, this podcast.

Planning for, and building a team for.

My new role of social media director.

At my church, my nine to five household responsibilities, plus doing stuff to prepare for the soon to come granddaughter.

It has hit me like a tidal wave.

I'm sure you know that feeling, right?

Like you're barely keeping your head above water?

I had a moment where I just.

Sat down, looked at my calendar and everything on my plate, and thought, how on earth am I going to do this?

And for a while, I tried to push through, tried to be strong, tried.

To pretend everything was under control.

But then, instead of fighting the overwhelm.

I had this realization.

This feeling isn't just a sign that I'm failing.

Maybe it's a sign that I'm growing.

I'm stretching myself.

I'm stepping into something new.

That shift in perspective didn't by any.

Means make the task go away.

But it changed how I approached them.

One of my listeners recently shared her experience with overwhelm.

She had taken on a leadership role at work, a position that she'd worked for to get like for years.

But once she stepped into it, the responsibilities started piling up.

The pressure was intense, and she began.

To question if she was even cut out for it.

But here's the interesting thing.

What she didn't realize at the time.

Was that her overwhelm was tied to.

The fact that she was growing into this new role.

She was being challenged in ways that she hadn't been before.

The very thing that made her feel overwhelmed was also a sign that she was evolving.

And you know, it made me think, how often do we mistake growth for failure?

What if we refrain, though?

Frame those overwhelming moments as milestones on our journey to becoming something more?

So let's rethink how we view overwhelm.

We often treat it as something to.

Avoid, but what if it's a marker of growth?

We're often overwhelmed when we're taking on.

New challenges, stepping into unfamiliar territory, or expanding our capacities.

It means that you're evolving.

When I realized that my overwhelm was.

Tied to responsibilities alike, trying to think.

Through, plan, and figure out how to.

Attack my new role at church, creating.

More content for my social media platforms.

As well as this podcast.

Catching up on work after traveling most of September, it hit me that this wasn't just stress for the sake of stress.

It was a sign that I'm doing more than I've done in a while.

Sure, I've had moments of craziness in the past, but this time.

This time it felt different.

But here's the thing.

Other people don't always realize how much you're juggling.

They may not see that you're already.

Barely keeping your head above the water.

That happened to me recently.

I was already overwhelmed figuring out how to manage everything on my plate, and someone came in at the last minute asking me to take on something else.

For them, it was probably no big deal, just one more thing.

But for me, I knew I didn't have the mental space to add on anything else.

And in that moment, I said no.

I told them I couldn't do it.

It wasn't easy, but I refused to spiral because of one more last minute request saying no.

In that moment, it really was an act of self preservation.

Now I want you to pause for a moment and reflect.

How often do you take on more.

Than you can handle because it's easier than saying no?

Could there be moments like mine where saying no could save you from spiraling?

But let me be clear.

Just because overwhelm could be a sign.

Of growth doesn't mean that it's easy.

There was a moment recently where I just couldn't hold it together.

I was juggling all these responsibilities, and one day, during my morning quiet time, I just broke down.

Literally.

I sat in my fuchsia chair listening to music and journaling with tears streaming down.

But I allowed myself to feel it.

I didn't try to push it away.

I didn't rush to fix it.

It was in that moment that I gave myself permission to cry, to feel frustrated, and to acknowledge that it was hard.

And afterwards, I felt lighter.

It wasn't that the overwhelm disappeared, but I had processed it.

That's the thing.

Sometimes we just need to feel our emotions fully before we can move through them.

Now, even though we're tossing around the idea that overwhelm can signal growth, we still need some tools to manage it.

So let's get into a few practical strategies that help me, and hopefully will help you, too.

The first is time blocking.

It's simple, but it's effective, and it's really saved me.

Lately.

I carve out specific blocks of time.

For different tasks, whether it's social media, podcast work, or church responsibilities.

This helps me focus on one thing.

At a time instead of trying to juggle everything at once.

Now, the beauty of time blocking is that it gives me permission to focus on just that thing at that moment, knowing that everything else has its own space.

No more feeling like I just need.

To do it all right now.

Now I'd love to know.

Have you tried time blocking?

If not, give it a shot and let me know how it works for you.

Now here's something that I've been working on lately.

Embracing the chaos.

I know it seems counterintuitive, but sometimes trying to control every detail just leads to more overwhelm.

I'm learning that some days things just.

Won'T go as planned.

And you know what?

That's okay.

I've started to let go of my.

Need to control everything and trust that I'm still on the right path.

Now, trust me, this whole letting go of control thing, it's a work in.

Progress, but I am trying to definitely.

Get there and I am making some progress.

Now, here's something that has made a huge difference for me, moving my body.

But I'm not talking about a long, intense workout.

Sometimes I'll just take a few minutes to do what I call shake it out.

Y'all know I have some crazy names for some stuff, but literally I shake my body.

I get up and stretch or dance around the room for a bit.

It might sound silly, but physical movement can release some of the tension that builds up when we're overwhelmed.

So the next time that you're feeling that weight on your shoulders, stand up.

Move around and see how it shifts your energy.

Another strategy that I've been loving is micro journaling.

Now, I'm not talking about the pages and pages of writing.

This is just writing for a few minutes each day.

So I've been taking like two to three minutes to jot down what's on my mind.

There's no editing.

There's no worrying about structure.

It's just a real quick brain dump.

This small habit has helped me clear the mental clutter and often just getting things out of my head.

It makes them feel more manageable.

Now, as we close, I want to invite you to reflect on something even in the midst of overwhelm.

What are you grateful for?

It's so easy to focus on everything that's going wrong or piling up.

But taking a moment to recognize the good can shift your mindset in powerful ways.

For me, I'm grateful for the new opportunities that I've been given, for being able to connect with you, and for the growth that's happening even when it feels tough.

What about you?

So here's my challenge for you this week.

Take two minutes to write down what's overwhelming you.

No structure, no pressure, just let it flow.

You might be surprised at how much.

Clarity it brings now.

I hope this episode has helped you see overwhelm in a new light, not just as something to manage, but as.

A sign that you're growing.

Remember, it's okay to feel overwhelmed.

It means you're pushing yourself in ways.

That you haven't before.

I'll see you next week for another episode of aging with grace and style.

Until then, stay fabulous, my friend.

Thanks for hanging out with me today.

I hope you're feeling inspired and ready to own your awesomeness.

I love sharing this space with you.

And if you love today's episode, do me a favor.

Share it with a friend who could use some extra inspiration.

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Until next time, keep shining with grace, style, and a whole lot of sass.