The Overwhelm Cure

Burnout: Recognizing the Warning Signs and Red Flags I'm seeing more clients go on leave from work due to stress than ever before. Just five years ago, it was rare for me to see this in my practice.  It's made me realize we need to talk about this. We especially need to learn how to recognize when it's truly time to take a break—before we run out of gas. What I've noticed is that most people wait...

How to navigate the overwhelming feelings of rejection without self-blame. In this episode, I'm sharing a personal and vulnerable topic: feeling rejected.  Rejection is a normal, yet often unconscious, human experience, but when it happens, it can feel horrible.  I recently went through an experience where a casual friend of 20 years stopped replying to my text messages, and it left me wondering w...

Overwhelm Is Your Body's Warning System Did you know that feeling overwhelmed is natural? It's just that we have a certain threshold for experiencing it. And some overwhelm is actually a good thing. In this episode of The Overwhelm Cure, we explore the ins and outs of overwhelm, including its often misunderstood purpose. It's actually a paradox: attempts to reduce our overwhelm can initially inten...

Why sacrificing sleep for "me time" is hurting you more than you think. I just learned this term —  revenge bedtime procrastination.   Have you heard of this? Revenge bedtime procrastination is when we sacrifice sleep for "me time" because our days are so busy and stressful. It feels good in the moment, but it contributes to our exhaustion. I knew the concept, and I'm raising my hand because I tot...

Just Because I Can Doesn't Mean I Should Over the past week, I've been connecting with lots of different people — friends, family, clients, leaders. It's truly lovely to share our lives, our successes, our joys, and even our struggles.  Something I noticed, though … when someone I care about is going through a hard time, I often find myself wanting to jump in and fix things. I really don't like to...

Today, I'm sharing my personal journey and strategies you can use right now to help you rest, reset, and recover, especially after a busy time like Canadian Thanksgiving, where we quickly shift focus to the Christmas season. Many of us, myself included, come out of a long weekend feeling fulfilled but also totally exhausted.  We think, "there's too much to do and not enough time," which often lead...

Grow a Little Each Day Today, I'd like to share a recent experience that led me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I was in a mobility class at the gym, and as I rolled a tiny yoga therapy ball under my foot, I had this overwhelming thought: "I wish I had known about this sooner!" This really hit home because years ago, before COVID, I injured my foot after a run without much training. And it's been bot...

The Gender Gap in Self-Worth: A Psychologist's Perspective "Do I deserve this?" "I don't know if I deserve this?" These brought me to the question: "Do men wonder if they deserve their success?" Women, it's not your fault. After speaking with hundreds of women over the past week, I found that this question came up repeatedly.  Here's what feeling undeserving looks like: Not asking for higher compe...

The Case for Taking Breaks I'm heading out on a week-long journey, training leaders across the province in resilience and Dare to Lead skills.  While I love my work, this trip also means I'll be missing my daughter's first national competition of the season, and a wave of mom-guilt is washing over me.  While my family is my top priority, my work schedule is planned months in advance, and sometimes...

How well do you accept help? This used to be an Achilles heel for me: Accepting and receiving help without guilt. While I've come a long way in making holiday gatherings special without wearing myself out, I used to approach them with overworking and then eventually resenting the work and being kind of cranky about laboring away in the kitchen instead of enjoying my guests. The Canadian Thanksgivi...

Listen, there's no good girl star. So, how about we prioritize our happiness and only let kind people into our lives? This is the topic I'm covering today, as the mantra "let them" became my go-to the other week. You might already be familiar with Mel Robbins' "Let Them" philosophy, which can lessen overwhelm and improve relationships. The theory she explores in her book, "Let Them," is that we wi...

Today I'm talking about something incredibly simple yet profoundly impactful: checking in. Recently, my oldest daughter moved out for university, and it was a surprisingly difficult experience for me.  What truly helped actually surprised me.  A friend picked up the phone (like with an actual call) to see how I was doing. It was such a small gesture, but it made me feel so cared for. It really mea...

Just because you've always done something doesn't make it a good reason to keep doing it. I'm bringing this idea with me into the changing seasons, as we sadly say goodbye to summer fun and travel, and transition into fall. Whether the kids are going back to school or, in my case, one is heading off to college, it's a season to review what's been working and what needs to change to close out the r...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" These are the sentiments from many parents as their kids head back to school. But for some, it's not quite the best time of the year. Here in Canada, the weather hasn't been cooperating. Though of course, as Canadians, we know we can get fresh air in any weather with the appropriate clothing. Barring the rainy summer weather, some of the clients I've bee...

"Is this as good as it gets?" "Is this really all there is? If you've ever asked yourself these questions, you're not alone. And you might also be focused on productivity and getting things done. We often turn to these unintentional strategies when we get overwhelmed in an effort to make our lives easier. But we end up making things much harder. While our brains try to simplify things, we end up c...

Boost your decision-making skills by practicing them daily. Whether you're on vacation or at work, you've got decisions to make every day. And when we get stuck in a loop, unsure what action to take, we can end up feeling overwhelmed because we're worried about picking the "wrong" choice. But what if there were no "wrong" choices? Did you know that our brains have a limited amount of decision-maki...

How do you handle emergencies? I don't mean the 9-1-1 cases.  This week, I've had several clients share their " emergency situations " that popped up in their lives. This prompted me to reflect on how we perceive and respond to these moments. I've certainly been in emergencies myself, and there are definitely ways we can make things either better or worse. And it's not just this week. For 20 years...

Can you relate to this? The panicky sense of overwhelm that comes with deadlines looming or when you're preparing for a trip.  As I get ready for an overseas trip and a workshop, I'm feeling the pressure to get everything done before my calendar closes and I unplug and relax for three weeks.   This inspired me to share my strategies for tackling overwhelm through organization with you today. In th...

In this special episode of the Overwhelm Cure Podcast, I'm sharing my reflections after 20 years of marriage.  I've gained many valuable lessons and insights over the years and am excited to share them with you. You'll hear about some important topics: choosing a compatible partner,  open communication, the significance of being fully committed to the relationship. You'll also hear about my experi...

How did you sleep last night? In today's episode, I tackle a common struggle women experience — exhaustion and quality sleep. You'll hear some of my own experiences with chasing good sleep , too . When I realized I couldn't keep chasing busyness as a status symbol, I needed to focus on getting a solid night's sleep.  I used to fall asleep just fine, but then I'd wake up in the middle of the night...

🎉 It's my birthday, June 28th, and I'm officially 50!   Can you believe it? I was born in 1975, and now I've reached the big 5-0.  When I was a kid, I thought 50 was OLD — like Golden Girls old — you know, big glasses, short permed hair, and becoming a grandma. Honestly, though, I feel nowhere close to that stage of life. I feel more like 30 or 40 years old.  It's truly a privilege to be thriving...

We just experienced the longest day of the year. In Calgary, where I live, we recently had daylight from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.  That's a lot of daylight!  And overwhelm can creep in when we try to cram a year's worth of fun and joy into only two months. Summer goes by so fast. So, instead of rushing through the season, let's get super intentional to create our best summer ever. How do these inte...

Today, we're diving deep into a topic that's important but one we sometimes misunderstand: self-care . We often think of self-care as bubble baths and massages, and while those things are lovely, they might not give us the lasting feeling we're t ruly looking for. In fact, I've come to realize that true self-care isn't an action but actually a question. It's about really understanding what's going...

I've been thinking a lot about celebrations. It started with my oldest daughter's high school graduation this week.  We had a blast celebrating with dinners and ceremonies, but it got me thinking about why we only focus on the big stuff.  Why not celebrate the little victories, too?  We often get so caught up in our daily tasks and to-do lists that we forget to acknowledge our achievements, big or...

Years ago, when my therapist first pointed this out to me, it completely changed how I understood myself.  Here's what she said … "You talk to yourself all day long, pay attention to what you're saying."  I have to admit that at first, I was skeptical. I was like , "I don't talk to myself all day!" But I tried it and simply noticed, and wow, was I wrong. Once I started paying attention to my inner...