“Within you, there’s a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself.”

– Hermann Hesse

Life in the 21st century isn’t easy. We have all felt the stress, anxiety, and exhaustion building up from work, family, relationships, and even the expectations we set for ourselves. These things, they lead to overwhelm.

This phase, when you reach it, slows down your pace, makes you confused and forgetful, reduces your focus on work, and might give you a feeling of breaking down.

We have a center within ourselves where we can retreat to when we feel overwhelmed. To recenter is to find yourself again, amid all the chaos of the outside world. We can practice recentering through the following four tasks.

• Take deep breaths
  When you find yourself losing your cool, unable to work or do anything- pause for a while. Take deep breaths. Inhale with a count to three, hold it in for three counts and exhale in the same manner. While doing so, concentrate solely on the air entering your body through the nostrils to the lungs, and going out.
  
  

• Concentrate on your thoughts
  Find out which thoughts are bugging you the most. Focus on your thoughts and try to eliminate the ones that are giving you the most stress.
  
  

• Slow Down
  Often, it’s the increasing pressure of work and relationships that send us to the phase of extreme anxiety leading to feeling overwhelmed. So take it slow. Divide your work and responsibilities into smaller, and more manageable parts.
  
  

• Meditate
  Recentering takes practice. Regular meditation can help you find your center in minutes. Therefore, put time aside for meditation daily.

Affirmation
I have a happy place within myself. I won’t take stress beyond my capability and retreat back to that place whenever I find myself in overwhelming conditions.