I used to be a slave to email. I was very aware of it and sought help. I got some relief, but email still felt like it was cracking its whip on me.

If you’ve got the email thing down, I don’t want to hear about all the different strategies I can use to reduce email. I tried them. Many of them worked.

But in the end, email still took over a good part of each day.

The reason why structures don’t always get you out of overwhelm is because email (or insert any topic that you feel overwhelmed about) is not the problem. It’s the way you relate to the email that’s the problem.

In my case, it was an addiction to making sure I stayed on top of it so it wouldn’t pile up. I didn’t want anything important to fall through the cracks. I didn’t want to be seen as negligent if I didn’t answer right away. There were probably other nasty beliefs I was throwing into the mix, too.

Those beliefs were keeping me from my most important projects and goals, not the emails.

Am I cured?

Mostly.

Five years ago, I sat in a room full of supportive peers working through this inner conflict and felt a huge release. I did the ugly cry and couldn’t stop. I had no idea the pain of email overwhelm was so deep.

Instead of feeling the pressure of responding to emails, I chose to work on my projects and goals. The more attention I give to the things I REALLY want to be doing, the easier it’s been to change my relationship to email.

I’ve been here before. Exchange the topic of email for my to-do list. My to-do lists damn near gave me a nervous breakdown in my early thirties. I’d made up that if I got my to-do list done, I’d be more successful. Kicking that habit opened me up to reaching my first six-figure year… and doing it with extreme ease.

I’m thrilled to experience more peace and profits as a result of my ease around email. It no longer owns me.

I know that whenever I’m in overwhelm, I’m future focused with fear.

I’m the boss. I get to choose what gets my attention… and how I feel about it. The only way to peace is to be here now… in this moment knowing all is well right now.

What about you? Where do you feel overwhelm and try to manage the circumstance versus exploring your beliefs?