Pagan Prompts no. 3: Coping with Overwhelm

PROMPT: How do you cope with overwhelm? Are you good at it, and do you have strategies for it? Do you see it coming, or feel like you are hit by it unexpectedly? Is it related to burnout, or something you can prepare for better in the more relaxed times?

When you do find yourself overwhelmed, do you turn to your Craft to help? Or does it demotivate you from practicing altogether? by it?

I hope those questions aren’t overwhelming in and of themselves… but these are important factors to consider. Often, overwhelm creeps up on us before we notice it. Being able to take a step back and look for the ways we’re actually being overwhelmed can even feel too exhausting! But that step back? That’s a great place to start.

 

Next time you’re overwhelmed, try these tips:

1. 1. Go for a walk in nature. If possible, go somewhere you can really feel like you’re leaving the world behind.
   2. In nature, or somewhere you can forget the things stressing you out, meditate. Or better yet, scream! And then meditate. There’s something very freeing about letting it go, especially if you find it hard to center.
   3. Haul yourself over to your altar, even if you have no energy to do anything, and just sit there. You’ll feel better just being in that space. If you feel called to, light a candle, or pull a tarot card. But this isn’t a psych trick: literally soaking in the energy of your altar is all you have to do for this one!
   4. Treat yourself. Get the thing, do the thing, eat the thing… this will help you feel less punished by the Universe.
   5. Make a list. Boring, I know, but really list out the things stressing you out. Seeing it in front of you can help it all feel a lot more manageable, and you might be surprised how much of it is smaller than you have built it up to be in your head!

 

*Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash

 

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About the Author:

 

Elyse Welles is a Greek and American earth intuitive witch and author. She cohosts the Magick Kitchen Podcast and is a monthly columnist for The Wild Hunt, Witch Way Magazine, PaganPages.org and Full Moon Magazine. An initiate of the eclectic Faery Tradition, her practice is centered on connections to land spirits and sacred places (numina). Her debut novel, “What the Water Remembers,”a paranormal mystery that empowers witches in and out of the broom closet, releases autumn 2024. With ten years of experience, she teaches witchcraft online and am an intuitive tarot reader.  Learn more about upcoming workshops, or book a reading @seekingnumina on Instagram, and seekingnumina.com