on overheating

I knew I had a long drive, so I hooked my phone up with my Spotify playlist and dropped it on the seat beside me. Half way through the drive my phone suddenly cut out.

I glanced over to see what the problem was. It turned out my phone had overheated and needed some cool down time. I realised it was in full glare of the sun so I promptly covered it with my cardigan and drove the remainder of the trip in silence. I was thankful. Thankful that my phone knew it was overheating and what to do about it.

But it got me thinking, ‘when I overheat, do I recognise the signs and take myself off for some well needed cool down time? Or do I instead not notice the signals until the inevitable explosion?’

Unfortunately I think I tend towards the latter. I notice the signals but I deliberately suppress them.

My internal conversation is often, ‘yes I’m feeling overwhelmed but I just need to get through the next few days. Then I can rest.’

The trouble with that approach is I can leave it too long before I take myself off for a cool down. Leading to an explosion that will affect not only me, but also my friends and family.

Let’s face it, in modern life there is never really a convenient time to stop, cool down and take a break. There are always things that have to be done. But if I choose to keep ignoring the warning signs, it is not a question of if the explosion will happen but rather when? And who is going to get hurt by shrapnel?

So even though it may not be convenient, when I am overwhelmed and overheating, I am going to listen my body’s warning signs. Taking time to cool down before I hit the critical point of explosion.

Join me for the journey,

Jodie