Dealing with Overwhelm
Kat Fulton, MM, MT-BC, is the curator for the premier site for online music therapy education. After building her private practice from zero to full-time, selling out of her self-published DVDs, and building a website from zero to full-time revenues, she now dedicates her time to elevating the field of music therapy.
Take the free Tech Basics course, and join the movement in positioning music therapists as LEADERS in healthcare!
Music therapists are always so busy being pulled in a million different directions – whether it be practicing clinically, to serving on a board for an organization, to attending and presenting at conferences, to advocating the public about this amazing field. You often have so many great ideas, and it becomes so tough to figure out which one to take. It is overwhelming!
We all experience it. But, we need to slow down. Prioritize.
The great, wonderful, powerful Marie Forleo says, “Inner chaos creates outer chaos.”
So, let’s take some action! Open up your favorite list-making device/tool – whether it be a word processing document, a favorite note-taking app, WorkFlowy (Make Lists, Not War! – Thanks to Darcy Lipscomb for the reco here!), or a good old-fashioned notebook and pen. Do a 10-minute “braindump” and get all of your ideas written down somewhere. Remember, inner chaos brings outer chaos. Get it out of your head.
Now, take your list, and begin thinking about these different points below —
- Is it aligned with my life purpose? This question is the question that trumps all the rest. If your idea is outside of what your life purpose is, then scrap it immediately. In order to know your life purpose, lots of soul-searching is required. Plus, your life purpose may change over time. Whether you know it or not, be patient and loving to yourself. Pat yourself on the back. This can be a hard question to answer.
- Does my gut say “yes”? If you say your idea out loud, and you feel your back straightening out, your head looking upwards, and your shoulders moving back, then your gut is saying YES . . . even if you feel scared.On the other hand, if you feel your shoulders caving in and your whole body curling up, then your gut is saying “no.” I learned that from Marie Forleo, as well.
- If the idea is for business, is it profitable? We music therapists have a huge advantage among business owners. Sometimes business owners tend to be in their business for money only. To this day, I have never met a music therapist who is in business just for the money! We are ALL heart and compassion! ;)So, we music therapists often need to exercise our muscle that asks “Wait a minute, will this idea return an exchange in value that helps ME prosper?” Yes, we need to take care of ourselves first so that we can take care of others. That way, we can provide stellar treatment to our clients. We deserve to be well. Our clients deserve our best selves. That means that if you are not making a profit, then you are not running a business. And you are doing your clients a disservice.
- Is it scalable and/or efficient? Don’t give yourself more work than necessary. Is there a way to take your idea and reach more people? Is there a way to replicate your idea and use it over and over with many different people?
- Does it enrich my life and help me grow? Think of these aspects of life: Financial Health, Physical Health, Emotional Health, Mental Health, Relationship Health, Intimate Health, Family Health. How does my idea help me grow these parts of my life?
- Does it challenge me in a positively-growing-kind-of-way? This one reminds me of an ex-boyfriend. He challenged me so much that I felt my confidence sink when I was around him. That’s not the right kind of challenge. The right kind of challenge allows us to feel vulnerable without losing self-respect. The right challenge allows us to learn new things and evolve over time, while acknowledging the beauty of our less-evolved former-selves.
If you answered no to any items in your “brain dump” – put a LINE right through it. Don’t look back. Gone!
At the end of this list-making voyage, you should (hopefully!) seeing more clearly and feeling a little less chaotic. Give yourself a high-five, pat your own back, and do a happy dance. Then go ahead and tackle that those ideas that makes your gut SAY YES!
Do you have other ways in which you deal with the feeling of overwhelm? Please share with us!
Kat Fulton, MM, MT-BC, is the curator for the premier site for online music therapy education. After building her private practice from zero to full-time, selling out of her self-published DVDs, and building a website from zero to full-time revenues, she now dedicates her time to elevating the field of music therapy.
Take the free Tech Basics course, and join the movement in positioning music therapists as LEADERS in healthcare!
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