What Would Make This Feel Light?
When faced with a challenge or a bout of overwhelm, give this simple strategy a try.
Several years ago, when faced with a number of challenges all at once, I noticed my mind veering toward the negative more than I’d like. So much felt hard, heavy, or more difficult than I felt it ‘should.’ I wasn’t exactly sure how to fix or change a lot of it, but I also didn’t want to keep feeling weighed down in the heaviness and difficulty.
That year, I had chosen ‘light’ as my annual theme, a practice I have engaged in since 2004. So I decided to start asking myself a question whenever I began to feel overwhelmed by a task, project, or situation:
What would make this feel light?
Sometimes the answer was simple: Turn on fun music. Grab a drink of water. Walk around the block for fifteen minutes then come back to the project.
Other times, it required a bit more effort: Hire a professional to help. Admit you were wrong and apologize. Scrap the project and start over. Not always easy, but still an improvement over feeling stuck.
To my surprise, the answer often came more readily than I expected. It wasn’t always clear or action-oriented; sometimes it simply involved persevering while also envisioning myself on the other side of the challenge.
But I certainly found the question more effective than when I had kept asking, ‘Why is everything so hard?!’
And by and large, things that had felt hard, heavy, or weighted started to seem a little lighter - or at least had the opportunity and/or potential hope to become so.
‘Light’ hasn’t been my theme for years now, yet I still often default to this question. It’s so widely applicable, and such a beautiful invitation.
If you find yourself facing a challenge or feeling overwhelmed, pause for a moment, take a couple deep breaths, and ask yourself, ‘What would make this feel light?’
And feel free to replace the word ‘light’ with one that resonates more deeply with you. What would make this feel fun? Easier? Magical? Meaningful? Worthwhile?
You can also experiment and see if a different question presents itself. Some examples:
What is the tiniest step forward I could take?
What can I do? What could I try?
Where might I get some support with this?
When I’ve been challenged in the past, what has helped?
Why is this important to me - what is the purpose behind it?
What I love about this line of questioning, and the act of asking such a question in the first place, is that it doesn’t deny or ignore the challenge - but it also doesn’t keep you stuck in overwhelm. You can acknowledge where you are while welcoming a new perspective or shift in approach.
And sometimes, that shift gives us just enough breathing space to step into a bit more light - and perhaps feel lighter in the process, too.
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