Do you ever get that feeling of being overwhelmed? When you have so many things you want or need to do that you don’t even know where to start? Sometimes that leads to you freezing or going around in circles and not doing anything. It all just feels too much.

When you see others who appear to have it all together and seem to juggle everything with ease, smash goals and make progress, it can leave you feeling pretty despondent. It’s easy to slip into a ‘what’s the point?’ attitude.

I think overwhelm and despondency are particularly prevalent in the perimenopause. It’s a time when we know we need to make a lot of changes to improve our health. It’s on our list to eat better, move more, destress, prioritise ourselves, the list really does go on and on! However, along with the perimenopause come symptoms that make actioning that list really hard. I’m talking about feeling low in confidence, being on edge, tiredness, brain fog and anxiety. Oh my goodness, it’s a real recipe for disaster, not getting anywhere and feeling even more rubbish!

Coping with overwhelm

I have one tip for you. You can do this is in an emergency overwhelm situation or just as a daily practice. Instead of thinking of the whole big picture and what your wider health and life goals are…

Just do today.

That’s it. Just do today. Simply focus on what you can do in the hours that are ahead of you. Forget everything else. Zoom in on the here and now and don’t worry about your ultimate vision. Having those overarching dreams and goals is great and a good tool to keep you moving forwards but sometimes they can just feel too far away, too big and unreachable. They can stop you doing anything.

Importantly, just do today in the context of how you are feeling today. There is so much day to day variation in the perimenopause that you never know what the next day will bring. If today is a bad day and you feel awful, choose one small action that you can do before the day is out. Something really small but positive. If you’re feeling good, it’s a great time to tick off a bigger item or a few small things from your list. What works for you today? What can you fit in? What can you realistically achieve? Make the most of the good days. Don’t stress or overthink the bad ones. Either way, you’re making progress. Those slower days are not wasted. It’s hard to see in the moment but doing lots of small things does, over time, add up to great things.

When you’re overwhelmed, don’t panic, don’t beat yourself up. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and keep repeating to yourself, ‘Just do today’.

Are you a runner trying to navigate the perimenopause? Sign up for my newsletter below and you’ll get my blog and some tips and advice into your inbox every week. Don’t struggle on alone.

Featured image: Photo by Thirdman

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