Post Lockdown Overwhelm – The exhaustion is real!

Lockdown is over, restrictions are being lifted and life is returning to normal, but are you left feeling exhausted, lost, or overwhelmed?

We were all so excited to finally be returning to in person events. Diaries quickly filled up with family reunions, catching up with friends, returning to the work environment, and travel. However, perhaps we didn’t anticipate the accompanying feelings of unexplained exhaustion, disrupted sleep patterns, pressure to people please, and the overwhelming desire to stay at home!

I too thought that I was having a ball post Lockdown and was unaware that I was being affected by social overwhelm, until the night before I wrote this article…

About last night.

The night before I wrote this article, I hosted a sound healing meditation at my studio. It is the first time in a while that I have received sound healing. I knew that it was very overdue but did not anticipate just how powerful it would be.

As is always the case with any modality of healing, the outcome is amazing, but we may not necessarily recognise the path that it takes us on. Neither will we necessarily understand the message that we receive at the time. The key is to not overthink it or analyse it. Instead, allow the process to flow through you, this may take days or even weeks.

The morning after the night before.

My message came to me the next morning. Surrender. I suddenly had a realisation that I had been forcing an outcome to something and had to let it go. I still do not know what it was that I was forcing, but as I set the intention to release it I trust that this is what has happened.

My sound healer teacher had told me that I had to keep my cup filled up and that I needed to receive as much as I gave. This did not make sense at the time. I have been very busy teaching, healing, and socialising, but I wasn’t aware of feeling exhausted or overworked. Instead, I felt energised and full of joy and love for all that I do.

There are many resources available to us to help us deal with these feelings, but I would like to offer you a tool that I have learnt through my healing experiences over the years. I hope that it will help you recognise and ease some of these feelings that you too may be experiencing?

Look within yourself

To recognise what it is we are feeling and experiencing we need to look inward.

Set aside a few moments for yourself each day. Ideally when you first wake up or just before you go to sleep. With your eyes closed allow your mind’s eye to gaze inward and explore what you are holding on to within you.

It is important to remember that thoughts will continue to flow, they will not completely stop. Try to not be distracted about the day’s events as they have passed, or whatever is yet to happen. Instead permit yourself to let it all go, even if it is just for those few moments.

At first, this may not come naturally but with practice you will start to become more aware of how you are feeling. Learn what makes you happy, your needs, and your desires.

This awareness and the access to our inner self that we gain is invaluable. The necessity to keep ourselves healthy and well in mind, body, and spirit is nobody’s responsibility but our own.

Surrender and let go

Surrendering and letting go does not mean giving up, it means taking care of yourself, setting healthy boundaries and being consistent with them.

We do not have to be everything to everyone. We do not need always need to be the giver or carer. We do not need to have all the answers. But we do need to keep our cups filled up.

If this article has made you pause, raised some questions or inspired you please let me know by leaving a comment. I appreciate all feedback and would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading.