This meme-borne neologism (or newly coined word to you and me) had exactly the kind of emotional onomatopoeia I speak of, describing the state of being “simultaneously exhausted, overwhelmed, and overstimulated.”
Thought to have come from the realms of ADHD, it’s a portmanteau of a word too, no criticism intended, that many can relate to. Just as I did when it took me by surprise on a friend’s timeline, who could also not only ‘relate’ but nonetheless decided to share, despite their world-weariness.
It’s funny, isn’t it? How things that were once thought to be disabilities and clinical dysfunctions, such as OCD, Autism, and in this instance ADHD, are now tradeable casual self-diagnoses, thanks to the deluge of pithy memes we are exhausterwhelmulated by, and the flimsy origin they might have.
On the one hand, it’s good to be understood if struggling with, or labouring under, a condition; yet on the other hand, we can’t all be hyperactive now, can we? Or the next thing that explains why we are different, unhappy or resentful.
Yet, in these times of the crazy that I have referred to often in these last few weeks, it is entirely understandable and superficially satisfying – in the way that social media allows and encourages – to discover a label or get-out-of-jail free card.
But you’re right, this isn’t the most zesty and upbeat subject for my usually uplifting column, where we attempt to shed light and offer solutions, rather than promulgate problems and settle with the limitations of our earthly existence.
So, let’s change gear, switch it up, and see what we can do about a condition we can so easily recognise, find ourselves in, and yet hear so few remedies for its chronic containment of our highest potential.
I think we’ve acknowledged before here the sheer and insane volume of information, most of which does not directly affect our lives, that we are subjected to constantly from ‘the world’, and which we seem to seek out, despite the long-term negative effect it would appear to have on us.
Daily, we are subjected to an impossibly huge amount of data, or should I say second- and third-hand interpretations, that humans from other times in history would not have seen in their entire lifetimes, let alone in one week, possibly day. And still our appetite knows little sense of satisfaction. What you are reading now is just that: another wafer-thin mint of information, which you presumably hope will pleasantly pass the time, entertain or educate you (and I trust you know that is my earnest intention).
Turning off, or at least turning away from, that information superhighway (or fake news sewage pipe, depending on your level of personal discernment) might, therefore, be helpful and self-caring, from time-to-time, but would you allow me to suggest something a little stronger? A tonic for this turbulence?
When pondering my lot, last lazy weekend, lying in bed fresh from the unconscious and subconscious worlds of deep rest and the psychological workings-out of dreams, I found myself returning to two ‘happy places’ of awareness. I found these landmarks, these touchstones, between bouts of mindful meditation and going the inevitable way of the monkey mind with its associative thinking, doing so rent-free and never caring to tidy up after itself, in what I’ll loosely call ‘my mind’.
In the more lucid, (truly) creative and mind-stilling moments of that contest, I reminded myself (was reminded?) that ‘not thinking’ is very helpful, and secondly, if a thought truce could not be arranged, that the quality of my thoughts was incredibly important and deeply connected to the quality and results of my lived life.
Not thinking, whilst promoted by some enlightened beings as a path to peace, is, ironically, unimaginable and unthinkable for most people. Thinking about not thinking does not count, unsurprisingly, and can easily make the aspirant demented through the arduous effort. So, let’s leave that mind-bending approach to one side for the time being, and consider (or for best results, actually attempt) the other, i.e. raise and refine the quality of our thoughts, whilst assessing, as we go, the effect that that discipline might have.
It’s fair to say this is esoteric stuff in the information age, where thought-bait abounds and not having positions and opinions on every subject known to man might solicit harsh judgement and even dissociation from others who mistake a lack of strong views for weakness.
On the contrary, to me at least, it is strong and forceful views that we might be suspicious of. Not only because they seem to be the bedrock of every confrontation making the world a more horrible place right now, but worse still, because of the effect they have on the thinker of those thoughts – first satisfying idle curiosity, then subscribing to fear and other debilitating emotions, and ultimately causing collapse in one form or another. In other words, exhausterwhelmulation!
Please note, as I conclude, that I am not advocating thoughtlessness or lack of care. Neither am I suggesting an insipid manifesto of positive thinking and complete acceptance without discernment. No. Today I speak of inner sovereignty (the kind many vainly hope to find outside), greater self-observation (instead of pointing the finger at others), and elevating the quality of your own thoughts (instead of rubbishing those of others) and seeing with your own eyes, and in your own experience, the ennobling and liberating effect this can have on your life.
If you can manage to do this in any serious and prolonged way, I cannot see how your life (and thereafter how the world occurs to you) will not be changed for the better. Each day is a new day to practice this way of being, which – in a world that will give you all the material you’ll ever need to feel exhausted, overwhelmed and overstimulated, forever after – is an almighty gift to yourself, those around you and this crazy world, at large.
Please let me know how you get on.
