Combating the overwhelm.

We all get overwhelmed from time to time, right? I've had points in my life of having frequent breakdowns from feeling completely overwhelmed. It's taken me until relatively recently to really grasp what I can do on a daily basis to prevent the overwhelming breakdown.

As the fall season gets busy and schedules become filled, I thought I would share a few things that help me keep my shit together. (or at least, give the illusion of keeping it all together!)

One of my 2019 New Years resolutions was that I would journal more - some call it daily writing or 'mind dump' - whatever. The point is that I write pretty much every morning. Sometimes it's just to remind myself of that day's schedule or to create a to-do list, but frequently it's to write thoughts, feelings, and experiences while having a few minutes of calm reflection in the morning. - Here are a few beautiful journals to help get you started!

Lists. This might seem like the same thing as journaling but to me its TOTALLY different. Making a list is especially helpful when I have multiple concerts and/or auditions on the horizon. I can make a list for each concert or audition with categories for pieces and where attention is most needed. This helps me tackle each day of practice feeling like I have a clear and actionable plan rather than feeling overwhelmed by a giant stack of music. - I prefer physically making my list with pens and paper but a list or note app could work, too.

Reviewing my calendar is super helpful to me in prioritizing work and time. Literally just looking and taking in what on deck for the day and what's coming up. - I'm an apple girl so iCal works best for me, but you do you!

And a few other helpful activities:

Walks and just generally spending time outdoors. I love walking in Frick Park.

Yoga - I go to I am yoga in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.

Meditation - I don't currently meditate (although I have, and I should) but my boyfriend swears by the Waking Up meditation app by Sam Harris so I'm going to go ahead and recommend it!

I'm curious. What do you do to stay calm and collected during busy times?

from a walk in Frick Park in the springtime

I must be the laziest.

Whenever I have an off-day I feel as though I MUST be the only person on the planet that is having difficulty functioning in a productive manner. I walk past my music stand over and over feeling guilty, I check my email 10 times too many even though I am most definitely up to date on my correspondence, and I check Netflix just to be absolutely sure that they haven't added a must-see show or movie in the past 24 hours. And then I think, "What's wrong with me?!"

Today was one of those days. (As I write this I'm still thinking, "This can't just be me, right?")

What do you do when you're feeling down or off?

I nap, exercise, and eat. Personally, I've noticed that the combination of these three things is KEY. The rest, then the body movement (even if it's just a 30 minute walk!), and then the nutrition is a pretty great reset.

...and you know what? Once I had napped, done some stretching and a little living room workout, and digested a delicious meat and potatoes dinner I made for myself, I ended up having a rather productive evening!

So, I want to know:

Do you chalk an off-day up to being a dud and just start over tomorrow? I mean, Netflix is only a click away! Or, what do you do to turn your day around?

Hello body, I'm listening!

Hello body, I'm listening! Or at least I thought I was... 

I woke up this morning with terrible neck and shoulder pain. I've had this pain once before - last fall, during a super stressful month when I definitely wasn't taking care of my physical body and well-being. In addition to stress and overwork, I ended up discovering that my posture while playing (the violin) had been compromised which I am sure led to even more tension and pain. 

I ended up spending multiple months with an amazing physical therapist at Pivot Physical Therapy here in Pittsburgh and, as a result, was feeling stronger in my upper body, neck, and shoulders.

I've spent the past year re-focusing on my personal fitness and making it a goal to be more consistent in maintaining - and maybe even improving! - my strength and agility. As a result, I've been happier in my body AND in my mind than I have been in a long time.

So, what happened to my neck?!

It's takes constant effort and awareness to listen to one's body, especially as we grow and move through life, always with stressors and distractions. Those stretches and strengthening exercises (should I share some of them?) that have been working for me for the past year might need an update. My body is clearly asking me for something else! In addition, I've been learning a lot of music recently that is new to me which, I have found, causes me to hold unnecessary tension in my neck and face.

For musicians especially, our body and mind awareness is of the utmost importance in order to consistently execute in our daily practice as well as on stage and in auditions.

Would you like to know what I am doing to help my neck? What do you do to keep your body and mind in the best possibly shape?

I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts!