Pause > Overwhelm

I felt it this morning - that familiar knot in my stomach, the mental spiral of my to-do list, the urge to just DO ALL THE THINGS right now. Overwhelm doesn't always announce itself with a megaphone. Sometimes it's subtle: a tightness in your chest, a shorter fuse with your team (or kids), or that frantic energy that makes you feel busy but not productive. Learning to recognize my body's signals has been a game-changer. For me, it's that stomach clench and an almost compulsive urgency to tackle everything at once (which, spoiler alert, never works).

My go-to strategy? Hit pause. Literally stop what I'm doing. Take a walk, even just around the block. Let my nervous system reset before I dive back in.
It sounds simple, almost too simple. Acknowledging "I'm overwhelmed" can actually give you the permission needed to step away rather than push through. The work will still be there in 15 minutes, but you'll be more equipped to handle it.

The irony? Taking that pause usually helps me realize I created that "everything must happen right now" pressure myself. Some things can wait. And the ones that can't? I handle them better when I'm grounded.

What does overwhelm feel like in your body? And what's your reset strategy?