Coping with Overthinking

The holidays are coming and I am potentially working 2 weeks with full days almost every single day wrapping gifts. The fact, that the shopping centre won’t open a second giftwrapping stand this year, really made me lose my balance and nerve.

In an hour I made it into a Big Bad Monster situation with constant overthinking about retail and consumerism, frustrating myself further. It’s only 15 minutes ago I searched for a way to calm myself because nothing seemed to be working. 

Now, I’ve had constant problems with over-worrying even if I do not show it and lately it has been immensely difficult to “Go with the Flow”. So that has me alternating between readily welcoming the unexpected and obsessing over every potential wrong or struggle that might happen. It nearly paralyzed me in regards to school as well.

Usually the techniques that helped, creative writing for example, riled me up further instead. Talking has lost its effectivness and I feel like I’m blowing steam with the engine turning up more gears. I guess I’ve grown to be a bit more pragmatic than before moving out from my parents’. 

Though once I simmer for an hour or two, it’s weirdly easy to cheer me up. Still, that simmering is suffering. What I found a liking to about two years ago was making lists. I was in a networking business project (ups-downs all around) and making lists was a very cheering thing to get me out of a slump. Realizing this after simmering for over half an hour, I took out a paper and a pen, writing the following:

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THOUGHT: I will be working every single day for 11 days to the bone and exhaustion with potentially very moody clients.

REALITY:

• Most likely, most days won’t reach 12 hour mark.
• At least 8 hours someone is working alongside me.
• We serve one customer at a time regardless of the queue.
• I can wrap 99% of things by now.
• I know enough Russian to handle it.
• I know safe stylistic options.
• I am competent.
• People RARELY make me freak out nowadays.
• I have time to prepare simple meals.
• The pay will be good
• IT’S THE HOLIDAYS!

So that seems to work for me right now in rationalizing situations. I hope in time such rationalizing will come to me more naturally. 

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Cheers and have a Balanced Day!

-Ann