Even sitting on the couch is too much

There are moments when life is simply a lot.

When overwhelm isn’t just hiding behind corners, but feels like it’s sprinting toward you.

The music is too loud.

The story your loved one is sharing feels like too much.

The mile-long to-do list is echoing in your mind — and at the same time, you feel too low on energy to even do the dishes.

Just sitting on the couch is too much.

What you crave in that moment?

Hiding under a blanket.

Hitting delete on all the tabs open in your mind.

Maybe just sleeping. Maybe just… peace.

I’ve had many of these moments this summer.

And not one of them was resolved by “just taking a breath.”

(Which doesn’t mean I’m not a fan of breathwork — I absolutely am — but that’s a story for another day.)

So what did help me?

What can I share with you?

My philosophy is always about balancing duality.

Bringing together two sides.

Part 1: Immediate relaxation

First, it’s about coming back to a sense of safety — remembering that you don’t have to fix everything right now.

Your only “job” in this moment is to calm. the. f. down.

Here’s my favorite exercise to do so:

1. Make a fist, place that hand on your heart, and cover it with your second hand.

2. Circle clockwise with gentle pressure.

3. Breathe slowly. Focus on the sensation in your chest — nothing else.

4. Repeat softly, out loud or in your mind: “I’m safe.”

5. Continue as long as needed.

You’ll feel the shift — usually after 30 seconds, sometimes a bit longer.

Your shoulders drop.

Your chest feels lighter.

Your thoughts soften.

That’s your body returning to safety.

And that alone is a big win.

Nothing else to do except acknowledge that you just cared for yourself — beautifully.

Part 2: The zooming out

Later — maybe at night, or during a walk, or a few days after — comes the reflection.

The honest conversation with yourself.

What brought you here?

What made you so tense, so overloaded, so caught in fight/flight/freeze?

What is the “too much” on your plate?

I love to set a 15-minute timer and just speak into my voice notes.

If you prefer journaling, write instead — the form doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually do it.

This is how you begin to learn from what the universe wanted you to see.

So that you don’t have to repeat the same cycle of overwhelm again.

Try asking yourself:

* What has triggered me most in this moment?

* What does the universe want me to learn from this?

* What can I do so this lesson doesn’t need to repeat?

Give yourself the little nudge it takes to do this part — it’s the one we tend to skip.

Yet those 15 minutes often hold the key to finally stepping out of the loop of

overwhelm → freeze → overdoing → overwhelm again.

If you want to learn a simple, nurturing system that helps you calm down and shift the habits that lead to burnout in the first place, THE SOFT RESET is your next step.

It’s a 33-day initiation into a calmer you — a gentle identity shift from brushing away your core needs to feeling truly safe, supported, and capable of sustainable change.

Learn more here