The Straw That Will Save You – My Little Trick for Overwhelming Days

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A small practice with a big meaning!

 

Where did this idea come from, and why does it mean so much to me?

I don’t remember exactly when I came up with it. It was probably somewhere between a quiet “I can’t” and an absolutely certain “I don’t want to.” I don’t think it happened during some dramatic turning point in my life. Just one of those ordinary days when everything feels like too much and you don’t know how to feel better when you’re overwhelmed – when you’re right on the edge and nothing makes sense.

Even brushing your teeth feels like an ambitious project, and your brain is on airplane mode. You’re still carrying yesterday’s problems, today’s scattered tasks feel all wrong, and nothing seems to spark enough to get you going. But life doesn’t wait. And more importantly, your self doesn’t wait. It wants to feel inspired again. It wants to move forward.

That’s when something quiet inside me whispered: “Okay. It doesn’t all have to be done right now. I just need to give myself a sign – any sign – that I’m not stuck. That I’m still moving, even a little. A tiny straw I can hold on to, something to pull me out of apathy and inaction.”

Sometimes it’s something as small as changing my clothes even if I have no plans to go out, or making coffee in that favorite mug I always save for “special occasions.” Not a dramatic shift. Not a big decision. Just a small movement forward. And that’s how this little practice was born. I called it “The Straw That Will Save You.”

Because sometimes, what we really need is something so tiny, yet just enough to stir the spark in us again. Something that doesn’t let you sink. Not right now.

It’s helped me more times than I’d like to admit:
– when I have to start something important, but all my brain says is “not now”
– when I’m caught in an emotional storm, but I don’t want anyone trying to “fix” me
– when everything feels dull and hollow, even though I know it will pass
– when I can’t explain how I feel, but I sense something inside me is falling apart

This straw won’t change everything. But sometimes… it’s exactly what lifts you – just enough to take the next step. And the beauty is, you can use it over and over, every day, in every part of your life.

 

The Smallest Step Might Be the Answer to How to Feel Better When You’re Overwhelmed

When I came up with this practice, I thought it was just my personal lifeline – something small and strange that worked for me and only me. But over time, I realized that there’s something much stronger hidden in its simplicity: it doesn’t have one single form, and that’s exactly where its power lies. It might be an action. Or a pause. Maybe it looks like a meaningless gesture – yet in that moment, it’s the most accurate thing you could have given yourselfIt’s like a quiet, inner “this is what I need right now.” It doesn’t follow rules – it follows you.

That’s when I started to see it differently: not just as a personal trick, but as something we all carry within us. We just haven’t always called it by name. I realized that the straw is like an inner compass that gently whispers: “This might be what helps you right now.”

It’s that tiny thing that makes the next step possible, especially in the moments when you’re wondering how to feel better when you’re overwhelmed.

And that’s why the question I ask myself each time isn’t:
“What’s wrong with me?”
but rather:
“What’s my straw right now?”

 

How to Feel Better When You’re Overwhelmed: A Gentle Guide

Sometimes, we wish someone would just tell us what to do. But the best answers don’t come from outside. They come from within. And the straw is exactly that kind of feeling. You don’t choose it with your mind. You choose it with the part of you that still whispers when everything else is screaming.

There are days when you want to begin, but you just can’t.
Others, when everything is noise and you long to escape to the quiet.
And then, days when you feel empty, like a screen with no light.

There’s no universal straw, but there are questions that can help you find yours:

What feels heavy right now – and what could make it just a little lighter?
What am I missing – warmth, movement, silence, meaning?
What would I do if there were no “should”?
What brings a soft smile to my face, even when the world feels grey?
And what if I simply paused for a moment and asked: “What do I need right now?”

It might be something quiet or slightly absurd, but fully yours:

To tidy up just one small corner, just to feel like something in your world is still in order.
To open a favorite book at a random page – not to read, but to remind yourself that stories go on.
To write yourself a little note that says something strange and kind, like: “If you were a plant, you’d be the kind that survives without sunlight.”
To sit with a glass of water as if you’re drinking something special, because in this moment, anything you do for yourself is special.
To say: “I’m not at my best today… but I’m still here. And that’s enough for now.”

Your straw could be a pause. It could be a song, an action, or a moment of silence. Something that makes no sense to the world, but makes perfect sense to your soul. And you don’t have to figure it out right away.

Stop and say to yourself:
“I just want to feel a little better. What tiny thing could help me right now?”

Then listen. To your body, your heart, your spirit. Your straw is there – if you let it show up.

 

Today, One Straw Is More Than Enough

Sometimes, what saves us isn’t the strength to do it all, but the quiet decision to do something small, at just the right moment. This practice isn’t a method. It’s not a system, not another “you should.” Just that soft “you could” – the one that appears right when you need someone (even if it’s just you) to reach out and offer a hand.

This practice won’t fix your problems. But it will interrupt them, just enough to give you a new breath. It won’t transform your life overnight, but it might just shift the way you meet this very moment.

And now, I gently invite you to try. Not tomorrow. The perfect day is today.

🤍 Grab a piece of paper, your journal, or simply open your notes app.
🤍 Think of three moments in the past month when you felt like you weren’t fully yourself.
🤍 Then softly ask: “What straw could I have offered myself back then?”

Maybe this is your very first, deeply personal answer to the question: how to feel better when you’re overwhelmed.

Don’t search for the right answer. Search for your answer. This isn’t the start of a new system – it’s the beginning of a new kind of care. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.

🤍 If these words offered you even a thread of hope, save them. Or pass them on to someone else who might need a straw, too.
There’s nothing more beautiful than sharing the goodness that once touched your heart.

To end, I just want to say: thank you for being here! That means more to me than you know!

#TheWayBackIn

 

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