Maybe you’ve had a meltdown before or maybe you know someone who has. It’s not pretty. Not for the person going through it or for anyone who may be on the receiving end.
But could you have stopped it?? Did you see the signs?? Did you change something before it was too late?? Or did you wait until you had to pick yourself up off the floor physically + emotionally?? And why did you wait?? Did you think you couldn’t afford slowing down?? Or were you in denial + thought you had everything under control??
Here are 8 signs signalling us all to slow down + take better care of ourselves.
1) You wake up stressed. With lock-jaw. And a headache. Your heartbeat is rapid. You feel anxious just thinking about your day. Getting out of bed is hard work.
2) You have a short fuse. Anything will set you off. Even people you usually love to spend time with, will irritate you. You lose it…with your kids, with your partner, with your clients, with your employees, with your boss, with the postman, with the lady making your coffee. People will start walking on eggshells whenever you’re near.
3) You’re a scatterbrain. You keep losing things. You keep forgetting things. You can’t think straight. You feel like there’s a million and one decisions you need to make and you can’t even make one. Your head feels foggy.
4) You hate it when your phone rings. You’re sick of people trying to contact you, be it your clients, your colleagues, or even your partner. You feel like you’re being pulled in every direction + everyone wants a piece of you.
5) You’re schedule has no white space. You cram everything back to back. You’re an extreme multi-tasker, trying to do it all yourself. Your days are filled with to do lists, getting from a to b, and checking your emails while you’re driving. You’re overloaded.
6) Because you’re overloaded, you don’t have time to eat. And when you finally get a chance to eat, you devour it before you can even taste it.
7) You get sick. And if serious, end up in hospital. Sometimes our bodies have to breakdown before we start listening to them.
8 ) You get a speeding ticket or have an accident. Sometimes the universe feels compelled to intervene…it doesn’t get anymore obvious than that.
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Great timing on this one. I had a total melt-down explosive breakdown just this week. I was scared sh*tless, honestly, because I know the darkness too well and didn’t want to get stuck there. Definitley had to not just pick myself up off the floor but scrape and drag myself back up. Oh, the mess and destruction I caused in those couple dark days- I’m on a borrowed laptop right now because I’m still waiting on a repair estimate for mine, it’ll be at least $250 cuz the 1080 17″ lcd screen is shattered. My cell is not turning on and I have to send it back for an exchange, I eveb ripped all my plants out of their pots!! Oh, Susana, it was brutal. But~ alas, I’ve come back into a place of wholeness and gratitude. I’m pretty much back to normal, except of course that the relationship that ended, leading to the meltdown, is still ended and I still have to live with what is but I’m doing it, and doing it gladly. Progress isn’t always easy and “growing pains” don’t only hurt children’s legs :) Thanks for the insight. I love reading your blog :) it’s always exciting when my email says you’ve posted something new.
Great article. I realize now that I have a lot to think about..and need some slowing down in my life. Super insightful. Thanks!
Thanks for the reminder! clearly I need to slow the fuck down on most days…ha!
xo
Hi Susana – I totally connect with number 8. Two summers ago, I was in such a mental fumble that it took three money messages (a credit card fee for late payment, a speeding ticket, and a fine for not putting my paid-for park pass in the window visibly) in one week to get me refocused. Here I was, so caught up in the things I was trying to get done, that I wasn’t paying attention to basics – like driving the speed limit. Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes being slowed down by the universe to get the message that we need to look at what we’re doing to ourselves. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for this great reminder. Sometimes I am doing too many things at once and then I come down with a cold, an absolute reminder to slow down. But I’ve gotten better at managing the busy-ness.
Hi Susana, yes, this has been me from time to time.
Cheers to recognizing feeling a little “off” in the yellow zone before it turns into the red zone…
Sometimes, for me, and for my clients, signs of breakdown are a piece of a larger story going on. The whole world seems to be falling apart, and it’s actually a gift to upgrade one’s life or steer the ship in a completely new direction. Slowing down in the midst of those transitions can bring powerful perspective and increase decision-making capacity by dropping in and moving with clarity.
thanks for the post!
Signs of a breakdown are definitely part of a larger story…bigger than we could ever comprehend either. These little signals are also a reminder that we’re moving away from our truth. xx
Hi Susana,
Can totally relate to this post. I have been in this situation for a lot of the time. Self care is really important especially if we are the main caregivers for others. This has been one of the lessons that I learned. Thank you for sharing this great post. I think that if a lot of people stopped and looked at the signs that they could prevent themselves from some serious harm.
Fantastic post!
We’ve all been there, going, doing, like the energizer bunny…LOL! I think most people see the signs but they choose to ignore them, until at times is too late.
Great list to come back to and remind us that you need to slow down, recharge to move further ahead.
Oh Woman! You are describing how I felt during the few months I was in Bschool which carried through for a period afterward as well. Had something to do with overcompensating in an areas which was not my expertise at all! Such a rightbrainer that all of the biz school stuff was overloading my circuits! and I just got worse and worse… so much so I could check of most of your points on this list! Ugh! not a usual chronic state for me! sighhhhhhh… FINALLY… alll of the information has begun to settle and I am integrating it bit by bit. I don’t know if I could have done it differently. Perhaps with a 24/7 COACH! I would do it again, though for the invaluable wisdom I have gleaned and the tremendous relationships I have forged… with women like YOU!!! haha! xo
Sometimes we have to cross over to the ‘dark’ side so we know EXACTLY what it feels like before we can gain any true clarity or insight. These signs were exactly what I experienced during my meltdown…I just didn’t know i was on the verge of a meltdown until it was in the thick of it. As for ‘integration’ that has been my mantra for a while now…bit by bit…integrating all aspects that reveal my most authentic self. Love to you Kathleen x
You are so right on about paying attention to the signals! We can just go on automatic pilot and not even notice we are doing these things to ourselves until, boom ( like you say ) an accident or sickness makes us slow down. You’ve given us great signs we can all watch out for so easily, if we just pay attention. The questions you ask in the beginning are very real and hit home with people. I really need to watch myself about getting involved with what I’m doing and not eating properly. Breaking that one! Always love what you have to say!
Susana, great list of signs! Every one of these has arisen at one point or another in my life. At the moment, I experience some of what you describe in #1 and 5, and 6. So will your next post cover what to do next?! :) I’m guessing you might prescribe yoga or meditation? Now if only I can find the time … :) xoxo
Love it Laurie! I’m still waiting for you to tell me when you’ve booked in for Vipassana ;-) And I think I’ll take you up on a post on ‘what to do next’…Stay tuned. xx
I am new here and love your posts. You have a fascinating story and I’m enjoying reading. Great job!
Suzanne
I love this blog! I love the feel of it, I love the attitude, and I love the total reality check reminder to SLOW DOWN. Wisdom and sass. Love it. I look forward to exploring your blog more!
Great reminder to stop the madness, Susana. I love your checklist…and would like add one to it 9) Haven’t taken a REAL vacation in a very long time (one day-ers don’t count).
This is a great post, and I recognize many of my past “Chronic” issues….and frankly, a couple I have ever-so-slightly touched on this summer. Good to see it in writing and get myself straight before I slide down any of those slippery slopes.
xo, Tina
All of the 8 signs happened to me and when I felt one of those sign going around me, I stopped everything. Get away from it all for a week and start again. It’s good to see them in a list. Once a year, I’m in a Vegetarian program for 10 days which is similar to Vipassana. I do the same process it’s only I do it at home. It’s amazing feeling after those 10 days of recharging myself. The slowing down process is make me moving forward.