Mastering the Mindset
Mastering the Mindset
Solving the Overwhelm: 4 Steps
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Overwhelm can feel like a flaw, but it's actually different: it’s your body sending a warning signal. It's telling you that the pace, the pressure, and the "noise" has crossed a line. Life moves fast right now. Between constant notifications, work demands, social pressure, family roles, and the extra weight of your own goals, it’s easy to stay “on” all day and never truly unplug. That constant stimulation has a cost. I give you 4 steps to solve this.
Opening Song Chasing Goals
SPEAKER_03Losing myself and finding my strength came to the conclusion that I want it all. Feeling that pressure of tryna do better. I wanna reach heights, but too scared to fall. Too scared of failure. Way more scared of feeling regret. I'm not even trying, that's terrifying. I understand that chasing my goals, I bury my clocks because it takes time. I gotta go. I already know. If I wanna grow, you reap what you sow. That be the case. Planting my seeds or water my base. Yeah, I made mistakes. Yeah, I know you grow in your garden, but watch for the snakes. The people that act like you're crazy for trying this, they far away. They don't think it's possible, I think it's possible that it's best hate. If they hate themselves, cause they on the shelf. Why you create? A life that you love.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03A life that you love. Loving the fact to improving yourself. Decided that you wouldn't settle. Decided that you got the drive to do it. The road got bumped in your foot on the pedal. You go up a level, you turn up whenever it's time for you to go put in that work. I know my work, huh? I know it ain't gonna be easy, yeah. I know it hurt, but hangers for sure. Until it put me in this earth. Before I ride in that hearse, chasing my goals.
SPEAKER_01Chasing my goals.
SPEAKER_02Loving the facts to improving yourself. Decided that you in a settle. Decided that you got the drive to do it to go. Got more foot on the cutter. I'm chasing my goals.
Welcome And Support The Show
SPEAKER_03Alright, what up, y'all? Welcome back to yet another episode. Thank y'all for showing up for your boy. And yet again, uh, like I always say, if you are on YouTube, like and subscribe to the channel. If you are on a podcast platform, leave me a review. Also, please support the show. It helps me keep this thing going. Uh, you can I left links in the description for you to be able to support. It should be pretty self-explanatory. Um, all donations are greatly appreciated. So I thank you in advance. Let's go ahead and dive in today. Let's
Why Life Moves Too Fast
SPEAKER_03talk about being overwhelmed and the reasons we get overwhelmed and how to overcome it. And if you're really being honest, it is so easy to get overwhelmed. It truly is. With everything in the world going on in today's society, it's easy. Our lives just move faster than it ever has in the history of man. There was no other time on this earth that life moved faster than it does right now. Of course, our ancestors had it more stressful and painful and harder. They had a harder life than us. Our ancestors went through way more than what we ever will, at least what we hope to. But as far as the way life is right now, with the constant movement, the constant stimulation, the way technology is just growing at this extremely fast rate, the constant notifications, the constant work emails, the projects, the deadlines, the work demands, social pressures, children, having to be a provider, being a role model. I ain't even talking about your goals, right? And all the things that go along with that. And we have the audacity to have goals, right? And if we're honest, how often do we get to just unplug it all? To turn it off. To just say, you know what? I'm turning myself off from the world. No social media, no emails, no phone calls, just unplugging. That don't happen often. Stimulation and distractions and stress, sometimes it can be or feel like it's endless. We got phones, TVs, people around us, children, right? News, bills, and again, you got goals and all the demands that that takes. All of this, right? And it's a common thing for folks, whatever the combination of those things are, it's common to get overwhelmed. And being overwhelmed too much is actually really bad for your body. Science shows that when you're overwhelmed, it activates your body's stress response. And when this happens, your body reacts like it's in danger. Your brain starts to pump cortisol to your body, right? Adrenaline. And these things, uh, they're good in the short term for survival, like if you're being chased by a bear or somebody tries to snatch your child from you out in public somewhere. That super speed you get, that superhuman strength, that's needed. But if you're constantly overwhelmed and your brain is just pumping cortisol and adrenaline, that's gonna be damaging to your body. It can lead to uh long-term health issues, a weakened immune system, inflammation, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, digestive issues like acid reflux, and anxiety, and the list goes on and on and on. It's important to figure out how to stop being so overwhelmed. It literally takes a toll mentally and physically on your body, on you and your body. Now, this ain't me telling you, this is research that's showing this, right? We don't want to be leaving this kind of stuff unchecked. And again, it can uh it can be easy to leave it unchecked because of how the world just constantly moves these days, especially because of our phones. Because if we wanted to, if we wanted to, we could be occupied 24-7. So let's talk about overwhelm and how we can overcome
Overwhelm As A Warning Signal
SPEAKER_03it. So, what does it actually mean to be overwhelmed? If you ask that same question to 50 different people, you might get a different answer from all 50 of them. We all got stuff going on, but if we break it down to the simplest form, it is your body telling you that you need to slow down. Your body be like, okay, I don't think so. Go sit down somewhere. It's that warning signal, right? Like a check engine light or that um that light that flashes when it's a low battery, right? It needs to be addressed soon. And this overwhelm, this overwhelm can be in more than one form, right? It can be mentally, it can be emotionally and physically. You could be thinking too much, that's mentally overwhelmed. You can be worrying too much, that's emotional overwhelm, and you could be doing too much, physical overwhelm. All of these things contribute to being overwhelmed, mentally and emotionally and physically. And each one of them carries its own weight. And the more you keep adding and letting it pile up, eventually that weight is gonna be too much. And more than likely, the majority of you listen to this podcast, it ain't so much the physical part, right? I'm sure we done all been there, done that, and been physically overwhelmed, whether that's from working double shifts, doing something physical for the first time in a long time, like running or working out or carrying something heavy on your back, we done all been there done that. But right now, for the most part, for the most of us, that ain't the case. It's the mental and emotional side of it, all the stuff you got going on in your brain. And it takes a toll.
Cortisol Costs And Mental Burnout
SPEAKER_03It makes you tired, and can even make you lose weight. It can make you lose weight. Did you know that? Did you know that your brain can make you burn calories? Your brain can make you burn calories. There was a study that showed these, uh, a study about these chess players, like the real intense ones, the champions, right? Like the top, I'ma just say a number, like the top 3% of chess players in the world, like the upper echelon of chess players. They can burn up to 6,000 calories a day playing chess. Playing chess, using their brains, 6,000 calories a day playing chess. That's three times as much as the average human. Their body ain't moving, they're just sitting there burning calories. It's the mental overload. Do you know anybody that went through hard times, right? And then you see them for the first time in a long time, and you see them, and they lost weight. Maybe you've been down that road. Stress. Stress can do that to you. And stress and overwhelm can also make you tired. I love giving this fact, but uh your brain only makes up about 2% of your body, but it also uses about 20% of your energy. 20% of your energy is used by your brain. It's the most energy-consuming organ in your body. It's why you can be tired even though you ain't did nothing physical. Them long days at your computer, it go, it just drains you, right? Again, we've all been there done that. We've been at work or we got deadlines or bills and so much work to get done, and we could be sitting at a desk or in an office all day and come home and be exhausted. And we ain't lifting out a single weight in your brain.
A Lead Role And Total Exhaustion
SPEAKER_03The last time this happened to me, uh, I was in a play uh a couple years ago. I won't name the play. Uh, I'ma just say, uh, yeah, yeah. But uh, yeah. Now the story was good. The way the script was written, yeah, yeah, not so much. And I won't go into detail, but I will say that the way this was written, it made it hard to memorize, it made it hard to find my character, and I had the lead role. And again, the way it was written, my Lord, the way it was written, I had so many lines, so many lines. And if anybody who knows me, and I said it on here before, if you know me as an actor, I don't have no problem learning my lines. As a matter of fact, I make it my goal to be the first person in the show to be memorized, no matter how many lines I had. And I had the same goal for this play, even though I had so many lines. And let me tell you, I was working, and I'm putting in my work, and not just at rehearsal, at home, I'm going over my lines, trying to make this character come to life and sound natural, and find the emotion and the arc of this character, and it was just hard. I literally have never struggled as much as I did in my whole career. In my whole career. And it got to a point in the in the rehearsal process, and we had like a week before our first audience, and I'm noticing that I'm just exhausted. And I'm still struggling to get my damn lines. Like when I say exhausted, I'm talking about I come home and I don't have energy to do nothing. And I was stressing because I never want to be on stage with an audience and not give my best. You never want to put your name on something that you ain't proud of. And I was not proud of where I was, and it was stressing me all the way out. I couldn't work on anything else. I was missing podcast episodes, everything. I was just so overwhelmed, not physically, but my brain.
Shift From Victim To Driver
SPEAKER_03And there's a shift that we need to make in our thinking, and it's a shift I had to make as well. Every time we get overwhelmed, what we always tell ourselves is, this is making me overwhelmed, or that thing is making me overwhelmed. This is overwhelming me. Or the shift we could make, the shift we should make, the shift we need to make, is to say, I'm allowing this to make me overwhelmed. I'm letting this make me overwhelmed. Because if we say this is making me overwhelmed, it's making you the victim. It's making your mind come to the conclusion that you just can't do nothing about it. Let's change that. Make that shift. And this shift is a small one, but it's an important one. Because a shift in words is a shift in perspective. If we say I'm making myself overwhelmed, I'm allowing myself to get overwhelmed, that's something you can change. You can do something about that. You can recognize that the power is in your control. The stories we tell ourselves shape our reality. Let me say that again. The stories we tell ourselves shape our reality. There's a big difference in saying I can't handle this versus I'm learning to manage this. Right? Words are important. I can say that this script and this play is making me overwhelmed, or I can flip it and put the power back in my own hands. Right? We have to acknowledge the stress and overwhelm exists. Yes, it's there. But if I say I'm allowing this script and this play to make me overwhelmed, right? I'm taking the responsibility and reminding myself that I'm the one that can make the change. And I had to come to that, to that realization that you know what? This ain't never happened to me before in my career. In the 20 plus years I've been doing theater, this has never happened to me. I know my track record. These circumstances I have right now, I can't change them. So I can't allow this to burden me mentally and emotionally. All I can do is what I can do. And that's continue to be creative and execute this role the best of my abilities. And unfortunately, I just ain't where I want to be with my lines. And you know what? That's okay. I ain't where I want to be, and it's because the situation I'm in is extremely challenging. So let me just control what I can control and go from there. The first thing we need to do is start listening to our words when we start to feel overwhelmed. Be able to put yourself back in a place of power. Because at the end of the day, we can't change the external, but we can change the internal. Get in that driver's seat and say, I can make a change. I can make a change. And also, the majority of the time we, well, a lot of the times, uh, our overwhelm, I don't know why I keep saying like that. Our overwhelm, it don't come from the things we actually are currently doing. It comes from the things we not doing, the things we thinking about. A lot of times it ain't the 50 things that's on our to-do list that got us overwhelmed. We get overwhelmed because we thinking about them 50 things on our to-do list and we stressing over it, wondering how in the hell we're gonna get it done. Because we know we can't get it all done at one time. And we won't too so bad. Ooh, we want to so so bad. We want to be able to get all 50 of those things on our list done at one time, but we just cannot. And it overwhelms us. So, what can we do?
Four Steps To Reduce Overwhelm
SPEAKER_03Well, I'm gonna give you some steps, four steps to take to lead to less overwhelm. I did it again, less overwhelm, and hopefully get you through it. And the first one, and if you've been listening to me for a while, then you know I always bring this one up, but the first one is breathe. Control your breath. Slow down for a minute. Literally make it three, four minutes to just breathe. And if you feel like you don't have three or four minutes to just chill and breathe, well then you probably need three or four hours. Breathe. Deep breaths, four seconds in in the nose, eight seconds out through the mouth, four in, eight out. And the reason behind this, those deep breaths, they activate what's called the parasympathet the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is your fight or flight response. And the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's rest and digestive response, right? And this leads to relaxation and recovery in your nervous system. When you get overwhelmed and you get into your fight or flight mode in your body, that's what happens, right? And the fastest way to get out of this is to just breathe. It's simple, it sounds cliche, but science tells us over and over again it just works. It does. So that's the first thing. Breathe, slow down, and breathe. Even if it's just for a few minutes, shift your brain and your nervous system towards that state of relaxation and you'll be able to make better decisions. So breathe. The second thing you should do, and this ain't rocket science either, and we all know it, but focus on one thing at a time. When you go to a buffet and you see all 30 different options of food and it all looks good, and you want to try as much of it as your stomach allows, you don't let it get you overwhelmed because you want to try so much of it, because there are so many food options. No, you try it one food at a time, one bite at a time. And that's exactly how it should be when you start looking at that to-do list. All those tasks that you got to cross off, figure out what needs to be done, get your time management in order, and take it one step at a time. Only one thing can be done at a time. Don't stress out over wanting to do all the steps, all these things at once. It's impossible to do that. It's proven by science that multitasking, that's a myth. It's impossible. Multitasking is impossible. You might think you're multitasking, but you ain't. All your brain can focus on is one thing at a time. So all your brain is doing is switching your focus back and forth. And science proves that when you do that, when you try to multitask, you actually are less productive and less efficient. The amount of energy your brain uses and the focus it requires to switch back and forth is actually harder and it makes you less efficient. So trying to do more trying to do multiple things at one time, it ain't a good idea. It's counterproductive. It might feel efficient. You might think you're doing it, but it leads to more stress. So that's number two, one thing at a time. Which leads me to number three. Once you figure out this single task you need to be completing one at a time, prioritize that list. You got 25 things to do today. Well, we know you can't get them all done at once. You probably can't even get them all done today in the first place. So, you uh you write them all out and you circle the most important ones, and you write number one for the most important one, you put a two next to the second one, and you go down the list that way, and you put all your focus on number one. Nothing else matters right now except that first thing. Now, again, this is for when you are feeling overwhelmed, not your regular day with your to-do list, right? You will attack that list differently. You ain't gonna spend all your energy on one task, you will get um more than that done. But when you're overwhelmed, the most important thing. And you'll and you focus on that number one all day if you have to, or however long it takes until you get it done. And once you get that done, not a minute sooner, you move on to number two. But be careful because you can create this big old to-do list and you work at it all day, and then at the end of the day, you feel like you ain't really getting much done. Right? And the reason for that is because you were just focusing on getting things done. Things that probably wasn't even all that important. Like, yeah, making my grocery list. It needs to get done because I'm gonna need to go to the grocery store soon to go to the grocery store soon. But I also gotta submit an audition. I gotta send this song to a producer so he can put his finishing touches on it. I gotta record a podcast episode and get it uploaded, right? Making my grocery list, it still is important, but it ain't a priority right now. So that's number three. Prioritize and figure out um what the order of your tasks are. And finally, number four, stop doing so many damn things.
Saying No To Protect Energy
SPEAKER_03Stop saying yes to everything. And I know, I know, if that ain't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what it is. That's been my problem for years. I say yes to way too much. And looking at my calendar right now, I damn near did it again. But stop saying yes to everything. Learn how to say no. And actually, I have gotten better at that. I've been working on it, and I can truly say I'm getting better. And the reason I say yes so much is because of how it is being an artist, right? The saying is you eat today, you starve tomorrow. Meaning you can be booked and blessed in one season, and you got gigs left and right, and you have a great year, and you booking shows and commercials and workshops, but then you hit a dry season and you look up and you don't have no idea where your next check is coming from. And you ain't got no work lined up, and that can be scary. It really is. So what ends up happening is you get in that dry season, and then when opportunities start coming about coming back around, you say yes to any and everything because you look back at where you currently are with nothing happening right now for you, but you don't look ahead to how overwhelmed and drained you're gonna be. And when you get there in the future, after you didn't say yes to any and everything, you're gonna wanna cut yourself out. Like, why the hell did I say yes to all these things? Why the hell did I say yes to all these projects and tasks, right? But like I said, I'm way better at it now. I literally just turned down a teaching artist gig. Technically, I could easily fit it into my calendar, right? I got the time for it, but the timing of it, right? Two different things. I have the time, but the timing and where I know I would be mentally at that time, I would be exhausted. It wouldn't be right for me, right? It would have been right before I started rehearsal for a show while I would be still in a final performance week for another show, and then that new show, it's a very short rehearsal process, only like two, uh only like three weeks. So I need to start memorizing that show while I'm still in the other show, and I know that will be a lot, and I can see myself just being mentally exhausted, so I had to turn it down. Anyway, stop saying yes to any and everything, stop saying yes to any and every one. Do less things when you have less things to do, you do them better. Also, stop doing so many things you don't love. You will have resentment towards it, especially when it gets crunch time. Try and only do things that you truly love. And that one truly is easier said than done, right? But sometimes you do have a choice, you do have that option. But if you can have that choice and option, do less things that you love. Anyway. So much on your number four. I'm only doing what you're doing. They work they truly do. And they're based on rule and size. And most of them are kind of playing over time. Yeah, that's of course. I need to only focus on one thing at a time. But that don't mean that we don't need that reminder from time to time, right? Being overwhelmed. It ain't fun. They can hold us back. And I just want to go.
Fall In Minnesota And Mood
SPEAKER_03And it's the beginning of the fall right now, and here in Minnesota, we know how quick that's gonna all be over, and it's starting to get darker like 4 30 p.m. And we hate it. And it gets all gray outside, and that by itself can make it a lot harder to find happiness because them gray skies can have you feeling depressed. Or at the very least, less happy. So let's not be overwhelmed while we enjoy these last days and months, especially during this time of year. So again, one, get your breath together, two, focus on one thing at a time, three, orbitize that list, four, stop doing so damn much. Simple but true. Simple but works. So that's what I got for y'all today, man. Thank y'all for being here. Uh please share this episode uh on your social media with a friend or family member. If you think they would need to, if you think they would enjoy or benefit from hearing this message. Also become a supporter of the show. Uh, you know, I really appreciate any donations I can get. Helps me keep this thing going. Uh also it just supports me as an artist, as somebody who is just trying to make a difference in the world. So thank y'all in advance. Let's go ahead and get to this music.
Share Support And Closing Song
SPEAKER_03The song I got for y'all today is called Lean on Me. Let's ride it out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they got it, but I'm the one you can't eat on. I know you gon' beat straight. Hold your head and hate it strong. And lean on me. Can I lean on you? Yeah. Sometimes you gotta hate a I'm the one you can't eat on. I know you gon' beat straight. Hold your head and hate it strong. And lean on me.
unknownCan I lean on you?
SPEAKER_03Welcome to east side high. You can lean on me. Live life on the high stuff, keep it low-key. So don't like your OZ. You better thank G-O-B for you move up. If you heard my name, it's a rumor. I'm on their brain like a tumor. I make them sweat like zoomers. I mean them, I mean them women, I mean I'm trippin', I mean I'm slippin' already. Had two cups. With up my pads that you run. With the room on streets, I'm running them business meetings, but I'll lay show shoes up, and but a button that suit up. If you was the epile fall and catch a bad break, man, you can lean on me like a new crutch. G Double O D, nigga, you good. You know where I be, we can pull up. They can never eclipse me. They can't block my shine, cause I'm way too lunar. Cause I grind all day till the sun go down on the moon up. I wake up based, hallelujah. You got to be Acham Medula. But nigga, we must take a loot up. My be jump in the water and come out with them barracudas. I know the future, go get you a scooter. They bother kickin' a roll with a s watch. You can lean on me like a kickstand. When it goes down like quick stain, you can lean on me.
SPEAKER_00Put everything on me. Sometimes you gotta eat. I'm the one you can eat. Hold the head and destroy.
SPEAKER_03I hit my cousin, say what's up. You came through with the blood. We talked about dreams. This is why not you. You still do it for the fam, move for your blood. Like I'm hot root. And this chicken head trust to pull me down, but I'm too fly boo. This the f I do. Still got a burst on you. But who can you trust? When people try to throw you under the bus. I just wanna window seat. Me and the ruckup, I do. I know they bought with the strikeout. I'm still calling my shots out. And then I swing like Ruth, babe. And it's ball three strike two. And I'm getting big. Yeah. Used to be so little. When I'm in beast mode, I need some skittles. And I've been knocked down. They was looking at me like he ain't gon' get up. Ayy. And she like rollin' no E-mate, she ain't gon' fill up. Yeah, yeah, they better pay me. I need more sprulla, couldn't be more villa. We finna get lit, we need more liquor. Deja vu, this seem familiar. Looking at me like I'm in your mirror. Looking at you like I need your liver. Damn dog, why you being so bitter? Mind your own, I'll be in your business. And the world keep turning. Bro, keep on spinning, my team good, we keep on winning. Them police gon' keep on killin'. It's amazing, I'ma keep on living. Tellin' me opportunity knocks. Where I'm from is ding don't ditchin'. We can't breathe, but they ain't gonna listen. You could take a double styrofoam a cup and pull it all over my shirt. So in other words, you can lean on me.
SPEAKER_00Put everything on me. Sometimes you gotta hate A. I'm the one you can't eat on. I know you gon' beat straight. Hold your head and hate it strong. And lean on me.
unknownCan I lean on you?
SPEAKER_00Sometimes you gotta hate A. I'm the one you can't lean on. I know you gon' beat it straight. Hold your head and hate it strong. And lean on me. Uh uh. Uh uh.
unknownLean on me. Uh uh. Uh uh.