I’ve been feeling overwhelmed recently.

This lovely, peaceful image of a cat asleep makes me wistful for the days when I had no cares in the world and could choose to take a nap as and when I felt like it! In fact, I probably did not take enough advantage of the opportunities I had… and now I find my days and weeks are full of responsibilities of one type or another and sometimes I get overwhelmed and I really would love to just curl up somewhere and hide from it all.

When I feel like this, it’s my responsibility to recognise that actually, I just need a break, a rest, a bit of space from all the things. Because if I don’t recognise my own needs in this way, and actually find a way to meet them, my feelings of overwhelm quickly turn into resentment, which gets expressed as anger towards the people I love. And that is not helpful in any way.

It can be difficult to find a way to meet my need for space, and it can mean I have to ask for help, which feels humbling and uncomfortable. However, the alternative would be a spiralling loop of negative emotions which are harmful to my relationships.

Today, I got to have a little walk in the woods. Being in the peaceful surroundings, listening to birdsong, walking through the dappled sunlight and breathing in the woodland air helped to refresh my soul and renewed my energy for the responsibilities of life.

A cat doesn’t need to be told to rest, it just does what it needs to do, whenever it needs to do it. Of course, I can’t be quite so carefree, but I could be better at noticing my need for rest before it becomes urgent.

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