Focus Pocus

Finding Inspiration When You’re Overwhelmed

(Litha 2023)

 

Everyone has probably felt overwhelmed from time to time, but those who are neurodivergent might experience overwhelming feelings differently, more frequently, or both. It’s easy for us to feel overwhelmed in overstimulating environments, our brains are always scanning the world around us, thinking at what feels like five times the speed of light, making connections upon connections, and our neurodivergent brains don’t help us filter a lot of the noise out. This can leave us anxious, paralyzed, and feeling like we’re stuck or out of control and can act like a huge barrier when we are trying to get ourselves together, especially if we are trying to establish some sort of routine. And when it comes to creating a personal spiritual practice, we can feel like failures because we can’t get in the habit of establishing a daily practice or whatever it is we think we “should” be doing. I’m here to tell you to be a little easier on yourself if you find yourself in this situation and offer some suggestions for your praxis!

First and foremost, I think we have to pause for a moment and take in the fact that our brains are different. Our neurodivergent brains are different from those who are neurotypical, and they are also different from others who are neurodivergent. Everyone will experience life differently with similar or different successes and failures, and the best we can do is to know ourselves and understand our own needs and how to meet them.

My suggestion is to treat your life experience like an experiment with a ton of menu options! Recently I moved overseas, and while I am trying to get into the swing of life again, I find giving myself a bunch of menu items to choose from daily helps me know what I’m in the mood for and what I have the capacity to do with the energy I have available. Here are some examples of my “menu items!”

Days of the week: I give myself different tasks to dedicate to the gods depending on which day of the week it is.

• • On Sunday, something creative for Apollo, or I’ll work on self-healing for Asclepius, or simply catching the sunrise or the sunset.

• • Monday, something using my intuition, working with my subconscious, or gazing at the Moon in the sky.

• • Tuesday I typically dedicate to Athena, and one of my favorite epithets is the Roman Minerva Ergane or “Minerva of Tasks” and I dedicate completing items on my to-do list to her, or thank her for all I have been able to accomplish.

• • Wednesday is Mercury’s day, so I’ll do something to “travel” like take a walk and try a new route, or something concerning communication, like reaching out to a friend I haven’t talked to in a while.

• • Thursday is dedicated to Jupiter, where I’ll try to find a humanitarian task to complete or for Juno, I’ll work on something around the house.

• • Friday is Venus and I’ll do something loving for myself, like take myself out on a date or buy myself flowers.

• • Saturday I dedicate to Hecate and will say her hymn, sing her a song, or pay tribute to her in some way.

I like using days of the week as my catalysts because they are predictable and have many options, but there are many other catalysts you could use! The key is to find something that you will notice or the catalyst will just fizzle out. Here are some other ideas:

• • Doing something with the Moon phases

• • Working with the sign of the zodiac the Moon is in (or any planet really, the moon changes signs every few days so it’s easy to shake things up more often!)

• • Using numerology and the calendar date

• • Creating a word that is a “theme of the day” that you can dedicate to a deity of your choosing

• • Rolling a die and letting fate decide for you! For example, you could think of 20 ways to pay tribute to your patron deity, saying prayers, singing to them, bringing an offering, clearing their altar, etc., and number each 1-20 (or however many sides your die has) and then roll to see what you do

• • Pull a tarot or oracle card

The key is have options set up for you to pull from, so the next time you have some extra spoons, take some time to set up some menu items for yourself. If this still feels like too much work, pick one thing and do the first thing that pops into your head. There is no right or wrong way, the important thing is that you do something!

 

*Photo by Prophsee Journals on Unsplash

 

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About the Author:

Montine is an astrologer, tarot reader, and occultist living on unceded Duwamish land that some call Seattle. A forever student, journalist, and queer gender-nonconforming femme, she spends her time listening to the stories people tell with the hope of understanding many more perspectives than her own. Recently diagnosed with ADHD and self-diagnosed as autistic, she is rediscovering the world through a neurodivergent lens and transforming her life to work smarter and not harder. She writes an annual called Book of My Shadows which explores different ways to use the energy of New and Full Moons for personal growth and exploration and one of her current hyperfixations is studying the Greek Magical Papyri.