My Story
How overwhelm got so bad, that it saved me…
It was 2018 (picture on right) and I had been through miscarriages, 2 divorces and caring for a parent with Dementia.
I had been teaching elementary school for over 20 years and found myself working in toxicity; the news kept reporting on school shootings and I had mounting financial problems. My 3rd marriage was falling apart, I had no time for myself and I feared sending my daughter off to school because nothing felt safe.
I was consumed by stress, burned-out, always behind and sad. I numbed myself with food, late night TV and fueled my body with sugar and caffeine. I dreaded getting out of bed in the morning and hit snooze until the very last minute. I got to work, did the best I could, volunteered to increase my caseload to feel worthy, worked through lunch and felt overwhelmed and not good enough.
At night, I opted for fast, easy foods and knew they were bad for me, but I couldn’t get unstuck.
I was out of shape and privately grappling with anxiety, panic attacks and painful stress-related health problems. I hated seeing pictures of myself, and most especially, the one on the right. It was my daughter’s 8th grade graduation. I was so proud of her and SHOULD have felt happy. I did not. The irony was that I was getting accolades for ‘doing it all, volunteering and taking on more work.
I tried to buckle down, work harder to get ahead but instead, felt that I was failing at everything. I was jealous of the happiness I saw in others and felt that I was missing out. Every time I looked at social media, I felt worse. I worked on my to-do list thinking that if I just did more, my anxiety would go away, but of course that didn’t happen
I went to doctors for my migraines, joint pain, and stomach issues. They told me that stress was the root of my struggles and fixing that would solve mental and physical pain, but I had no idea on how to do that. I felt like a failure.
I tried going to a gym, but immediately upon walking in, I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to do and I wasn’t an athlete; I didn’t belong.
I didn’t know how to fix my stress and feel more happiness.
Because of that extreme low, and because it hurt so much, I realized that I needed to change things.
I started with small things and consulted with anyone who would talk to me - from nutritionists, personal trainers, sleep doctors, meditation gurus to life and health coaches. I read every book that I could on personal development, health and habit change. I became obsessed with incorporating what I was learning to especially handling stress and creating more happiness.
I learned how uplevel my inner voice, habits, thought patterns, beliefs and routines that kept me stuck in overwhelm.
It took making simple tweaks with everyday things - like, what I did when I became overwhelmed, the process of going to bed, waking up, what I listened to while driving to work, or changing how I viewed problems when they would pop up. These were absolute game changers for me!
The change was profound.
I created happiness at work, made peace with my relationships, healed my body, got off migraine medications and became even closer with my daughter. I now think differently, eat better, move my body more often, and have better daily habits. I am 30 pounds lighter, have more energy and a more positive outlook on life. I will always be a work-in-progress trying to make myself better, but truly - I am happy, even with life’s stresses & curveballs. I love my life and it brings tears to my eyes to be able to say that.
This compelled me to help others avoid the depths of what I went through.
I became a certified life coach, a certified health coach, a registered yoga and meditation teacher, a Reiki Master and am still obsessed with learning all I can about stress and happiness. I heavily invested in learning all I could. I honed the skills needed for transformation and figured out the secret sauce to making progress happen quickly.
My mission is to help as many people as possible get out of overwhelm through stress management and intentional happiness practices.
Does any of the above hit home? Maybe you care so much about others, that you put yourself last and it’s just not working anymore. You might just want to accomplish and do so much for all those around you, but at this point - just want to feel better and get rid of the constant pit in your stomach.
