Latest / Overwhelmed Working Woman: Boost Productivity, Master Time Management, Overcome Overwhelm & Stop People Pleasing / #285| Why Rushing to Make Up Time While Driving Only Adds to your Overwhelm — and You Still Arrive Late, Tense, and Frazzled
Transcript
- 0:00Michelle Gauthier: When you listen today, you'll learn why you're overwhelmed long after the drive is over and the one thing that can actually reset it.
- 0:11Michelle Gauthier: You're listening to Overwhelmed Working Woman, the podcast that helps you be more calm and more productive by doing less.
- 0:18Michelle Gauthier: I'm your host, Michelle Gauthier, a former Overwhelmed Working Woman and current life coach.
- 0:23Michelle Gauthier: On this show, we unpack the stress and pressure that today's working woman experiences.
- 0:28Michelle Gauthier: And in each episode, you'll get a strategy to bring more calm, ease, and relaxation to your life.
- 0:35Michelle Gauthier: Hey friend, welcome back to What's Causing My Overwhelm Wednesday.
- 0:42Michelle Gauthier: Today's letter is D, and D is for driving.
- 0:46Michelle Gauthier: You know that moment when you're already running late and then someone cuts you off with no signal, or you're driving, paying attention, minding your own business, and someone who's looking at their phone swerves into your lane accidentally, and you have to slam on the brakes not to hit them.
- 1:00Michelle Gauthier: And all of a sudden your heart's racing and you're gripping the wheel and maybe yelling or saying things about the driver who's cut you off.
- 1:08Michelle Gauthier: And by the time you get where you're going, you're in a worse mood than when you left.
- 1:12Michelle Gauthier: And that feeling of overwhelm and frustration can just carry on with you for the rest of the day.
- 1:17Michelle Gauthier: One quick thing before we jump into the rest of the episode.
- 1:20Michelle Gauthier: I am teaching a live class called How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed.
- 1:24Michelle Gauthier: I haven't taught a live class in a while, and I would love for you to come.
- 1:28Michelle Gauthier: It is on Friday, September 11th at 11 a.m.
- 1:31Michelle Gauthier: Central.
- 1:31Michelle Gauthier: It's one hour, it's $17.
- 1:33Michelle Gauthier: And I will show you based on my eight years of experience coaching hundreds of women out of overwhelm.
- 1:40Michelle Gauthier: I will show you what the causes of overwhelm are and how to stop feeling that way.
- 1:44Michelle Gauthier: The link is in the show notes.
- 1:46Michelle Gauthier: If you can't make it live, you can still get the replay, but you have to register.
- 1:50Michelle Gauthier: Don't miss this, you guys.
- 1:51Michelle Gauthier: It's gonna be so good.
- 1:52Michelle Gauthier: It's worth an hour on your Friday.
- 1:54Michelle Gauthier: Okay, let's get back to driving.
- 1:56Michelle Gauthier: I think everyone has been in the situation where you arrive somewhere and you're so irritated and overwhelmed because of something that happened along the way on the drive.
- 2:04Michelle Gauthier: But here's the thing we need to remember it's never actually the traffic or the other driver causing the overwhelm.
- 2:10Michelle Gauthier: It's the thought in your mind that is causing you to feel overwhelmed.
- 2:14Michelle Gauthier: So we are gonna give this overwhelming situation the one-two punch.
- 2:18Michelle Gauthier: Punch number one is think differently.
- 2:20Michelle Gauthier: If I'm in traffic, I would often think something like, this is ridiculous, this shouldn't be happening to me.
- 2:26Michelle Gauthier: Or I also like to think, like based on whatever time it is that this shouldn't be happening, like traffic can only happen at like eight and five or something.
- 2:34Michelle Gauthier: So the first thing to do is figure out what is that thought that you're having that is making you feel overwhelmed, and then think about a substitute thought, such as, I can't control the traffic.
- 2:44Michelle Gauthier: I can only control what happens in this car.
- 2:47Michelle Gauthier: Because that's not a stretch.
- 2:48Michelle Gauthier: It's just true.
- 2:49Michelle Gauthier: You didn't create the traffic, you didn't make the other driver cut you off.
- 2:52Michelle Gauthier: The only thing that's in your control is what you do in the seat that you're sitting in.
- 2:56Michelle Gauthier: But the second thing to do, you think a new thought and then you take new action.
- 3:00Michelle Gauthier: So the next time you're stuck, turn off whatever's playing, take some deep breaths, and just bring yourself back to the present moment, reminding yourself, if I want to, I can stop feeling overwhelmed about this.
- 3:11Michelle Gauthier: This doesn't have to stress me out right now.
- 3:13Michelle Gauthier: What I do in that situation is I try to get maximum enjoyment out of the drive.
- 3:17Michelle Gauthier: So I will look around and notice, oh wow, look at those beautiful rose bushes over there.
- 3:22Michelle Gauthier: Or if you're on the highway, maybe there's nothing too beautiful, but you can notice the sky or a cool car next to you, and then take a couple deep breaths and make your car the most enjoyable place on the road.
- 3:34Michelle Gauthier: For me, that means not gripping my steering wheel, not clenching my jaw.
- 3:40Michelle Gauthier: It means turning on a podcast or some music that I like or an audiobook and driving the speed limit and keeping plenty of space between my car and the car in front of me, and just being in my own little zone of peace.
- 3:55Michelle Gauthier: Because then when you arrive, you'll actually be there.
- 3:58Michelle Gauthier: Physically, you'll be there either way, but mentally you'll be there too.
- 4:01Michelle Gauthier: And you don't have to waste any more of your time being stressed and overwhelmed.
- 4:05Michelle Gauthier: Okay, that's it for letter D.
- 4:07Michelle Gauthier: Driving that's out of your control.
- 4:08Michelle Gauthier: Think a new thought, take a new action, and feel a little less overwhelmed.
- 4:12Michelle Gauthier: I'll see you next week for the letter E.
- 4:14Michelle Gauthier: And don't forget to sign up for how to stop feeling overwhelmed class.
- 4:17Michelle Gauthier: The link is in the show notes.
- 4:19Michelle Gauthier: Thank you for listening to the Overwhelmed Working Woman podcast.
- 4:26Michelle Gauthier: If you want to learn more about my work, head over to my website at MichelleGauthier.com.
- 4:32Michelle Gauthier: See you next week.