Have you ever noticed how we talk about being overwhelmed or underwhelmed, but we never say we are whelmed? Well, not in my world. I got curious about why and how that relates to therapy.

 

While The Grammarphobia Blog explains the witty history of these words, it got me thinking about our internal maps, warning signs, and where we go when life feels like too much. Here is a short reflection on trying to find the turning… yet searching for it is technically resistance to what is.

 

Working with our emotions rather than against them is the path to Whelm.  It’s not about letting them control us or us trying to control them. It’s about listening to them, honouring their existence and choosing what to do next.

 

In my somatic practice, I often sit with clients who feel trapped in an exhausting cycle, oscillating between the hyper-arousal of Overwhelm and the frozen, shut-down state of Underwhelm. Searching for that elusive, calm middle ground where we can finally feel safe is why most turn to counselling in the first place.

 

Yet, as the intro highlights, sometimes the desperate search for that perfect state is simply a form of resistance to where we are right now. True regulation is about learning to expand what our bodies can handle in the present moment.