Overwhelm

As much as we love playing our instruments and performing, there can come a time when we might feel overwhelmed by all our responsibilities. We want to accomplish all our tasks, but there seem to be not enough hours in the day. We overwork ourselves, and our motivation drops down to practice our instruments or even perform.

What does that mean for us, and how can we safeguard ourselves when that happens? Can we prevent that from happening?

One thing we can do when we have too many responsibilities, many pieces to learn and assimilate, obligations, and commitments is to make sure that we allow ourselves periods of rest. Sometimes, forgetting and indulging in our work without taking breaks is too easy. But breaks are necessary for our bodies to re-energize.

And we don't have to feel guilty for putting aside our work temporarily and resting. We should consider it vital for our well-being and give our bodies the proper care they deserve.

Taking frequent rests might prevent getting overwhelmed in the first place and balance out the time we put into our work and the time we spend taking care of ourselves. Without the latter, overwhelm will follow, and we might need to stop what we are doing completely.

Last week, I was in the same situation. I had worked so hard throughout the weeks through stressful situations and was inundated with many tasks and responsibilities, but I got to the point where I just had to rest. There was nothing more to do. However, in my case, I had to take my daughter to a distant city for an audition. I stopped doing everything I was doing and focused on our trip. It took about two days until we returned home, but the break from everything helped me recover my strength, regain energy, and motivate me to continue my tasks and projects.

Therefore, part of our planning must also consider this factor to allow us to regain our strength when we feel tired. There is no sense in continuing when the body signals that it is time to rest.

Another way we can help ourselves when it comes to practicing our instruments is to divide our hours during the day so that we are not playing for hours on end. Working some hours in the morning and some in the afternoon or evening is possible. We need not practice in one sitting. We can schedule our time accordingly.

I practice two different instruments daily: my cello and bass viol. A break in between helps me to recharge. I can focus and concentrate more when I return to the next instrument in the evening.

I also interchange my writing activities, music, and household responsibilities throughout the day so that I am not doing just one thing continuously for hours.

Therefore, if you are experiencing overwhelming feelings, plan your daily routine so that you allow for breaks to reset. Go out, take a walk, breathe fresh air, enjoy nature, and return to work.

How do you deal with the overload of responsibilities? Have you felt overwhelmed? What do you do? Please share with us in the comments section below.