How Elm can ease our overwhelm

Elm has always been one of my “go-to” flower remedies. It is a flower remedy for an acute state, and for when, on some days, so many of us can feel that everything is just on top of us.

The busy mother with so many roles to play in her life suddenly flops down in a heap, or bursts out crying because the demands of her day and maybe also her life have tipped over into her feeling like it’s just all too much. This is a perfect example of being in an “elm state”. 

Of course, there are also so many others. But this is when Elm comes to the rescue like a flower angel, bestowing a blessing. 

The principle of it has to do with responsibility, and although the person might largely be able to manage well, the Elm state comes in a weak moment.

It is when suddenly the demands can become extreme enough to tip the balance. Usually, this state of overwhelm is temporally exchanged for altruism. Elm types are usually seriously dependable people and take letting others down to heart. They can also err on the side of being overachievers. But of course, anyone who is being pushed to their limits can find themselves in need of Elm.

Signs of needing Elm:

• Temporary feelings of inadequacy.
• Sudden overwhelm of a task you need to perform.
• Temporarily doubting your ability to cope.
• Feeling overwhelmed by responsibility for something or someone.
• Feeling you can’t keep up or catch up.
• Feeling in a crisis.

What Elm helps and changes:

• Feeling self-assured and confident.
• Being able to take everything in one’s stride.
• Feeling of being able to manage and being organised.
• Regaining of perspective and a sense of proportion. 

If the Elm type can be less personally insistent on their need to overachieve and become more aware of their human limitations, that can go a long way to avoiding being in this acute state. However, sometimes also in life, there are times when events and their impact can leave us in a state of understandable overwhelm. In this case, Elm has time and time again proven to be an absolute blessing that works in seconds, allowing us to manage in spite of what we are called to do.

Balance matters, so that we are not called to act and help or achieve beyond our capacity. Living well with a realistic understanding of what we can manage requires self-awareness, self-care and also boundaries, so battling on unless we absolutely must is not wise.

Elm provides us with a safe and calm return to being able to manage once more.