Overwhelmed By Your Inbox?
What keeps us connected may be our greatest source of overwhelm.
Do you wake up each morning grabbing your phone and one of the first things you do is check your inbox?
Are you already overwhelmed by your number of emails, yet you reflexively check your email every chance you get?
This morning I stopped to think about why I do this….
My answer is because I am human. Humans need connection and our behavior is controlled 95% of the time by our subconscious patterns. Although I have identified my patterns and I am working hard to consciously transform them, they still can easily control my behavior.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the mundane.
I am on my third email address maxing out the storage capacity, simply from subscription emails for newsletters, communities, special offers, etc. These email subscriptions represent my desires and beliefs over the past 20 years. There are many subscriptions that are associated with a version of me that no longer exists.
Recently, my husband was cleaning up his email inbox, which made me consciously aware of how I handle my emails. He shared with me how he was unsubscribing to things he did not actively engage with. This made me consciously aware that doing the same would be helpful for me. So, I began…
The first email I clicked on was a business apparel outfitter. Do I want to unsubscribe from this list? I experienced a contraction feeling in my body and the thought that went through my mind was ‘what if I miss out on a deal?’ The truth is that I have not ordered from this company in over 2 years, but my foundational limiting belief of “scarcity” was at play here. Despite my conscious awareness of what was happening, I was still uncomfortable with the contraction related to fear of scarcity that came up in my body. A HeartMath self-regulation technique I practice often was helpful to allow me to come back into my conscious awareness to make the decision to unsubscribe.
The next was a scientific journal on health. My body experienced the same contraction feeling. Heart-focused breathing allowed me to realize that the basic human need of control; the need to know and the need to be right was at play here; I chose to unsubscribe.
The next was a newsletter from a thought leader I really respect. Again, my body contracted, and this time it was because of my need to be part of a community and to show my support to someone I share similar beliefs with. I chose to stay subscribed.
I worked my way through the inbox of nearly 7,000 unread emails. I eventually came upon one from 10 days prior from a colleague looking for assistance with a client. My body immediately contracted; I missed out. In a world that expects a response shy of 24 hours, I had failed. This caused feelings of shame, guilt, and most importantly fear of loss of connection. Those newsletters and deals that cluttered my inbox caused me to miss out on what’s really important to me, helping others. The reason I believe I reflexively check my email is in hopes of personally connecting and supporting someone; the feeling of fulfillment by being of service to others. Yet, this is exactly what I missed out on.
After just a few email subscriptions, I was exhausted, which contributed to a feeling of being overwhelmed. The energy expenditure that occurs from the hijacking of the autonomic nervous system is what does this. Every time my body experienced that uncomfortable contraction feeling, I was unnecessarily burning energy. I am grateful for my toolbox of regulation techniques to stop this energy burn, while I continue to work on transforming and integrating my limiting beliefs and make new decisions to reduce my overwhelm.
Later, I will turn back to cleaning up my email inbox and the filters to unsubscribe I will consciously apply will be those of my past, those beliefs I am trying to let go of. I will unsubscribe to those that are supporting:
My scarcity mindset; deals and discounts
My need for control; the need to know, the need to be right
My fear of missing out; wanting to be included, wanting to know before others
I will stay subscribed to those businesses and communities that I want to support. Those that are conscious of their leadership and business practices, those that support my values of sustainability, authenticity, and faith/hope, and those that share information to increase love rather than stimulate fear on this planet.
When we become overwhelmed by the mundane, we drain our Vital Energy and miss out on what really matters to us personally.
I encourage you to look at what is overwhelming your inbox and consider letting go of those things that no longer support the person you strive to be. It will take conscious awareness to do this, which will require support. I am here to be your guide on the side, and my community is here to support you. Please consider joining in whatever way serves you best… You can join me on Mighty Networks, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. I would love the opportunity to assist you on your journey to increase your Vital Energy.
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