Can you ever just be whelmed?

10 Things I Hate About You is one of my favorite movies. I have watched it dozens of times and regularly recite lines with my sisters. In the opening scene, one of the characters says:

”I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed,
but can you ever just be whelmed?”

First, the good news. Yes, whelmed IS a word as well as a state of being. Most use the work whelmed with a prefix of either “under” or “over”. The meanings of whelmed and overwhelmed overlap and many times are used interchangeably. While I am not Merriam-Webster, I propose another interpretation. I like to use the word “whelmed” when I am on my way to feeling overwhelmed but I’m not yet there- it is a lesser version.

This past week was one of those times. I was whelmed by the news, my workload, constantly shifting priorities, and demands from others. I never felt overcome by these things but I did have lots of “feels.”

In order to stay productive, I had to take a few breaks. At about half of the breaks, I made myself do different mindfulness activities. (You can get a few examples of these on the video page.)

On a day where you are whelmed- or even fully overwhelmed- carve out time to take a break or just walk away for a few minutes. Use your breath to connect in to your emotions and feelings. Lean into the discomfort— for somewhere in that sense of whelm is a lesson or a learning.

Do the thing!