Hi Liam
Don't be afraid to refer to those overwhelming moments as 'breakdowns'. I think they can be a natural part of life and hold the potential to be highly constructive, all depending on how we break down everything that's led up to the overwhelm.
I like to consider there to be different degrees of breakdowns. From basic all the way through to severe and debilitating, I believe they all happen when we reach a tipping point. We can only hold so much, mentally, physically, emotionally and even on a soulful level. When we reach our tipping point, we gotta start pouring stuff out while making greater sense of what's led to that point. When we do start to make sense of everything, we can sometimes declare 'No wonder I feel the way I do, it now makes so much sense'.
It's important to remember that everyone has a different tipping point. The point can depend on our circumstances, the volume of challenges, how often we're challenged, whether we have significant moments of relief, whether we've got the right support/guides/strategies/skills/structures in place to manage, whether we're facing a lot of first time challenges (compared to ones we've come to practice managing) and the list goes on. Another factor I find that can play a major role in that tipping point relates to how much we feel or sense in life. While an insensitive person may not feel challenges to a great degree, a highly sensitive person or HSP may be feeling all their own challenges stacking up, other people's challenges and the challenges of the world all at once. So much can run through their mind and nervous system and so much tension can be held in their muscles etc. It can all start to build up and up. If we don't have strategies for managing constructive forms of release as we make our way through the challenges and if we don't have ways of identifying the number of challenges that are stacking up, there comes a point where we're forced to vent and break things down. Btw, while brilliant teachers recognise each student has their tipping point, the people high up who set the standards for the Australian Education System basically don't care. They don't take into account, to begin with, that not every student is a natural academic. The same workload is expected to be managed by all students, with some exceptions. It's a serious fault in the system that some teachers try so hard to help their students manage.
Liam, I've found a significant challenge can involve sensing a tipping point coming. When I can feel myself starting to become overwhelmed, I know it's time for a constructive break down of everything that's going on in my life. I can feel it now in my life, that tipping point approaching. Time for some major life changing reform or restructuring in my life, probably the most significant in all my 55 years. First I have to be able to break down all areas in my life that are posing challenges. What areas in your life do you feel are calling for your attention?
