A Tidal Wave of Emotions

About 3 months ago, I experienced what one of my friends referred to as “an emotional tsunami”.  One day I was completely fine and then the next day out of nowhere I couldn’t stop crying and this wave of emotions continued on & off for the next week.  I couldn’t understand what was going on but then I took a step back and it all made sense.

There was a lot going on!

• The first quarter of the year was hectic juggling a full-time job along with my coaching side hustle. I had had a few months of crazy busy-ness with no time to think or digest…just running from one thing to the next.  Then I had a break away from it all for a week and the minute I stopped and took a breath it was like my emotions were just all released at once!  It’s horrible getting upset when you’re away as holidays are supposed to be all happy and relaxed but there is no point forcing it if you don’t feel great.

• Change – in coaching there is a tool called a “wheel of life” which enables a client to assess eight key areas in their life and rate how satisfied (or not) they are with them in order to see what they want to focus on or improve. The areas are Career/ Money/ Health/ Friends & Family/ Significant other or support/ Personal development/ Fun & recreation/ Home & work environment.  When I thought about this for myself, I realised that there were major changes in most of these areas for me all at the same time and it all was just too much.

• Fear of the unknown – I was making a significant change in my career and I didn’t have any guarantee that my new plan was going to work out. While it felt like absolutely the right thing to do, it was taking me out of my comfort zone and moving me from a lot of the “anchors” that kept me safe and secure.

• Lifestyle – as of a result of the 3 points above I wasn’t sleeping great. Also, as I was “on my holliers” I was drinking every night, which is not a good idea when you are feeling emotional.

• Hormonal (sorry guys!) – the time of the month was just another factor in the mix which made everything ten times worse!

There are plenty of things that we can all do to prevent a build of emotions or a “tsunami” like this such as:

• Stop and pause more regularly so you can process what is going on in your life
• Put boundaries in place and don’t say “yes” to everything
• Ask for help and support
• Look after and be kind to yourself
• If you’re feeling off-balance but not sure why, a wheel of life can be a very easy way to review the key areas in your life
• When you’re making any great change, you kind of need to accept that you are going to feel uncomfortable and go easy on yourself
• Keep on top of the lifestyle basics like sleep, eating well, exercise etc. – such simple things that we all know are important but find hard to fit in.

If you are currently going through a transition or are thinking of making a change and you’re scared, hopefully some of these tips will help.  Or if you want to have a chat, just drop me a message and I’d be happy to discuss your options with you.  Elaine x