Speaker 1: 0:05

Have you ever had so much on your plate that you don't even know where to start? And quitting feels easier than trying? That's where I am this week, and if you have ever wrestled with overwhelm, inertia or self-doubt, this episode is for you. I'm going to share three simple but powerful ways to move forward when you feel stuck or ready to give up, so you can keep going even when it feels impossible. Welcome back to Roots of the Rise with me, sarah Hope.

Speaker 1: 0:35

In episode 79, I shared a five-step process for handling overwhelm. Today, I want to give you another one actually another three because, honestly, I am in the absolute thick of it and I need a reminder of all of this too. I just wrote about this in my newsletter and I thought you know what? I cannot be the only one who is going through these rounds of feeling like, okay, I've got this, it's all under control, and then realizing, blah, it's not, I'm behind and I don't know what to do or where to start. I mean, this week alone, I'm teaching a workshop on forgiveness, two on meditation basics, starting an eight-week series on authentic alignment, facilitating a four-day heart-based meditation retreat, and while I've got pieces prepared for all of them, I am by no means fully ready. I am excited, I feel very aligned, I'm very motivated and also I am completely overwhelmed. There is just not enough time. Part of me wants to just shut down and go doom scroll some funny Instagram reels and just numb out for a moment. Even deciding what to work on first feels impossible because there is this pressure and time crunch on everything and my default in these moments is to walk away, it is to just tap out.

Speaker 1: 1:54

I mean, it would have been really easy for me to come up with reasons not to release more podcasts this week. I could frame it as being realistic, as setting good boundaries, you know, practicing self-compassion. But if I'm honest, this week in particular, that's kind of just excuses. I mean, sometimes that's real, sometimes all of that is very valid and okay, but right now, no, if I buckle down, I actually can get all of this done. So all of those excuses, they're rooted in fear. They're fear of actually achieving all of my dreams, fear of making it all happen. What would it mean if I actually can get all of this done and do it all? Well? I just I don't want to sabotage myself. I don't want to get too comfortable making excuses for myself. I also need to be realistic, which is why the next couple episodes they might be a little shorter than they usually are Still useful, just a little bit more to the point. So you know, what do we do in these moments when quitting feels easier, when we don't know where to start.

Speaker 1: 3:03

Clearly, this is something that I experience relatively regularly. I didn't used to, but, man, since having a kid, I mean I hate to use it as an excuse. You hear it so often that, like children, they just make everything more difficult when it comes to getting things done. But there is some truth. You know some stereotypes. There are these kernels of truth to them that having kids is one. There just is less time in the day Totally worth it, to be clear but it is a lot. Time management is a lot harder when you're not just managing yourself but also a little one and who you know needs a lot of attention. Anyway, I wanted to give three things that I've found, three practices that I found that have been extremely helpful for me when I get caught in these loops. So the first one is one small step at a time. I know it's a cliche, but it works.

Speaker 1: 4:01

James Clear's Atomic Habits his book Atomic Habits is one of the best guides I have ever read on this. Every page in that book is highlight worthy. I mean I always highlight, you know, these books that I read on inner development and self-help and all of that. And usually it's like, you know, you highlight one sentence and then you read a couple more pages and you highlight a paragraph and then you read 10 more and you know it's like it's a little sporadic. This book, atomic Habits, the whole thing, is basically just one long highlight. It's a really, really well written guide. You know he explains not just why small steps matter but what those steps actually look like.

Speaker 1: 4:44

Yeah, in my newsletter I shared a story about taking my son on a hike that my father used to take me on. It's a really special trail for me, so taking him on that hike was really meaningful, but he'd never been on it before. And so 15 minutes in came the dreaded you know how much longer, and this is too hard. So I did what my dad used to do. I told him to pick a tree, just get to that one, and then I'd carry him to the next. Luckily, once he made it to the first tree, he chose the next one himself and managed to do most of the hike by himself. I didn't have to carry him all that often, though I did actually have to do it a few times and I was kind of surprised that I was able to haul this 50-pound kid up this mountain. But regardless, the point is he made it. He made it One tree at a time, and that's sometimes how we need to think about things just one task at a time, one decision at a time.

Speaker 1: 5:38

That's how we get anywhere worth going. So one small step at a time is the first, one Second one, one big step. You know, sometimes small steps aren't enough. You need a complete reset. So for me that means stepping out of my everyday environment, either on retreat or at a training, at least once a quarter, at least once a quarter. All of it always helps me recenter because I have the space to then reflect and remember what really matters, what my priorities are. It helps me see more clearly where I might be emphasizing things I don't need to be, where I want to put more effort in. I mean, it's one of the reasons I'm so looking forward to this weekend's retreat that I'm facilitating, not just because I'm facilitating it, which is one of my favorite things to do, but also because I know that I'm going to get some of that space and perspective that I can't get when I'm at home.

Speaker 1: 6:38

So one big step, and then the third, which is what I really wanted to talk about today and this is the big one that I wanted to emphasize today is something that I call head down, heart up. It's one of my favorite personal mantras Head down we've all heard it, you know. Keep your head down. Head down means put away the phone, stop checking email every 15 minutes, let the distractions wait. Heart up means listen inward. It reminds me to stop overthinking, to stop having my left brain try to figure everything out and instead to let my heart lead with wisdom, clarity and inspiration. I mean, I teach this on the regular. This is part of my daily teaching. You know, every time I work one-on-one with clients and workshops, speaking about intuition and figuring out how to be fully aligned. You know I teach about it constantly, but even I can forget when I'm in the thick of things. But this mantra, it always brings me back and I actually wanted to bring it up today because I've been thinking about experimenting with something new for you Guided meditations that go along with certain episodes as part of a membership option.

Speaker 1: 7:58

Not every episode would have them, some are not applicable, but when it worked, I would give you short guided contemplations or visualizations, with gentle binaural beat music underneath, so you'd have not just the teaching but a tool you could use in real time without having to like fast forward through an episode or remember which episode it was in for that matter. So if that's something you'd like, please let me know. I would love to co-create this with you, but for now I'll give you just a little taste of what it could look like with a short practice. It's not the full version members would get. I'm not going to use music here, I'm just going to verbally bullet point the process, but it'll give you a general idea, and you can do this even if you're driving or walking, though I find it personally most useful when I'm sitting at my desk in the throes of the what do I even work on next? Overwhelm. So here we go.

Speaker 1: 8:57

This is the head down, heart up practice. Take a few moments to just close your eyes and center yourself, taking a few deep breaths to just relax, obviously, if you're listening to this as you go for a walk. The closing of the eyes might not be possible, but just take a few moments to let yourself, let go of all the external distractions and focus in on your breath, letting the breath slow down, taking deep inhales and exhales. The next time you inhale, draw the breath into your heart and quietly whisper to yourself, head down, and, as you exhale, imagine the breath flowing out through your heart and whisper flowing out through your heart and whisper heart up. Inhale, drawing breath into your heart. Just imagine the breath filling your heart up, head down. Forget all the distractions and, as you exhale, imagine the breath leaving from your heart and repeat up center in the wisdom of the heart. One more time inhale, building energy in the heart, focusing inward, letting go of the external head down and, as you exhale, release all the energy out, flowing from the heart out into the world, heart up.

Speaker 1: 10:34

Now. Let go of the breath, let go of all. Focus on the breath and ask yourself what is the one small next step that would be most useful right now and then go do it. So just to recap, three things that really help in those I want to quit moment are one small step at a time, one big reset step when you need it, at the very least knowing that that big reset is coming. Like me, knowing that I have this meditation retreat this weekend, it's helping me get through the insanity of this week because I know that I'm just a few days away from giving myself that big reset. And then the third one is head down, heart up. Reconnect to the wisdom of your heart, reconnect to your intuition. Let go of the external distractions, let go of all that chatter and just take a moment to come back to that deepest part of you that has all the answers.

Speaker 1: 11:43

So let me know, would you find it helpful to have guided practices like this, ready to go on your phone with supportive, you know, peaceful music underneath that will help the brain relax, that you could use whenever you need a quick reset? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at rootsoftherise at gmailcom and let me know. I hope this was useful. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and remember, know who you are, love who you've been and do the work to become who you want to be. Just a quick reminder this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist and nothing shared here is meant to replace the guidance of a physician, therapist or any other qualified provider. That said, I hope it inspires you to grow, heal and seek the support you need to thrive.