Overwhelmed? Clear Out Some Space

By Dr. Peter Sanders

Published April 22, 2021

 

So you are sitting there, knowing you have a paper to write for English, a test for Biology you need to study for, work in 2 hours, and a date you are excited and nervous about tonight.  With all these tasks to do, one might think you would jump right into writing that paper.  Instead, you feel overwhelmed by it all, and end up spending the 2 hours before work going down a TikTok rabbit hole of cat videos.  These experiences are incredibly frustrating for many, and can often lead to high levels of anxiety, depression, and self-loathing.  It can also make it seem even more overwhelming the next time you have to try to do something, because now there are more tasks!  This vicious cycle can make it harder and harder to do the things you know you need and want to do.

                This is an experience I encounter often when meeting with students to help them with their struggles.  So many people report feeling overwhelmed with tasks that pull them in multiple directions, or feel like their emotions take over making them feel helpless.  I have found that a technique called Clearing Space can be very effective when you are feeling overwhelmed by tasks or emotions.  Clearing Space is the first step in a larger process called Focusing. Focusing is intended to help you to learn from your emotions, Clearing Space can give you a great starting point to effectively work with your emotions.  Oftentimes when we experience big emotions, it feels as though it takes over and will never go away.  Clearing Space helps to create some distance from your concerns while still keeping you close enough to understand them more clearly.

Instructions for Clearing Space

1. Before you start, think of somewhere you store things near you. This could be a drawer, a closet, or even under your bed.  Some people have even imagined a bookmark bar on their browser.  Get a mental image of that.  The main task of clearing space will be imagining putting your concerns temporarily into this place.
2. Sit somewhere comfortable and sit straight up. Take in a few deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. 
3. Ask yourself: What is concerning me right now? Pause and pay attention to what comes up, give yourself about 5 seconds of pause before listing out the first item.
4. List out the first thing that comes to mind. Don’t dive into it, just notice that it is there, and then imagine taking that concern and storing it away for a few minutes.  Notice to see if your body feels a little lighter after putting the concern down for a second.
5. Now pay attention again to see what other concerns are still there for you. For every concern, repeat step four.  Repeat this until you cannot think of anything else that is concerning you.
6. Once you have put everything temporarily away, think to yourself or say out loud “I feel peaceful and calm”. Check in from your throat to stomach and do one of the steps below:
   7. If that really resonates and seems to fit, go ahead to step 7.
   8. If you notice tension or resistance after you say this, pay attention to that feeling in your body and see if it is another concern you hadn’t noticed. Apply step 4 to this concern.  If you can’t identify a concern, then nicely ask if the feeling itself will go into your storage space for a second.
7. Once you get to a place of feeling that your concerns are temporarily stored away. Pause and pay attention to what it feels like to have the space from your throat to stomach cleared.  Imagine a place that is peaceful and comfortable for you and just take a minute to feel what it is like to be in this safe, cleared space.
8. Now go ahead and bring one of those concerns that feels most urgent, and do what you need to for it. You might even ask that concern what would be most helpful for you to do.  For example if it is concern about studying for a test, try to start studying with only that concern in your space and all the others still temporarily stored away

In a few months, I’ll write another blog about how to approach your emotion from here. For now, try out these 8 steps.  The other concerns may come out eventually, but see if this clears you up to approach the tasks that most need your attention.

 

Last Thoughts

I hope that this exercise is helpful for you as you try to navigate a world that can feel pretty overwhelming.  This is just the first in a series about Focusing.  In later posts, I will teach you how you can take one of your concerns and process it from the cleared space, helping you to learn more about yourself without getting overwhelmed by your emotion.  For more information about Focusing, check out the International Focusing Institute’s website.