how to manage overwhelm
“I try to take one day at a time, but lately several days have attacked me at once”!
I saw this quote the other day and, whilst it made me smile, it was also something I could immediately relate to. I have felt overwhelmed countless times, sometimes for a couple of hours and now and then, for longer. The feeling can be serious and acute, making it difficult to see a way forward.
Feeling overwhelmed is something many of us experience. For some people it’s quite rare, but for others it can become a recurring experience, or a state they become stuck in. The feeling of intense emotion that something is too challenging to manage or overcome; that we can’t find a way through, or that we are trapped by our thoughts and emotions about a particular problem, or situation.
It can happen to any of us, especially when we are juggling so many different priorities in our lives. Let’s look at some of the symptoms of overwhelm.
When we feel overwhelmed it can become almost impossible to function or make decisions. We are frozen, not knowing where to begin, everything bubbling over, or feeling out of control. It can creep up on us over time or hit us like a wave crashing down on top of us, making it difficult to think and act rationally.
The symptoms are different for everyone, so getting to know the symptoms you experience when starting to feel overwhelmed is the first step. Some people are angry, or irritable. Others feel fear or anxiety, have panic attacks, or become upset more frequently. Some people find themselves procrastinating, scrolling through social media instead of completing one of the many tasks to be done.
Just as the symptoms vary for everyone, the reasons we feel overwhelmed are also unique. Difficult relationships, job pressures, financial struggles, or significant changes in our lives, are just a few examples. Challenges that one person shows resilience towards can be a significant contributor to feeling overwhelmed for someone else. It can be one significant event, or a build-up of smaller stressors, both of which can have the same impact on our ability to cope.
When we feel overwhelmed, it’s a sign that our survival instincts have been triggered and we are in a fight, flight, or freeze state. This is often because we sense some form of scarcity, whether that is time, energy, or resources.
There are several practical things we can do to effectively ease the feeling of overwhelm. Here are four that I find helpful.
Four steps to ease the feeling of overwhelm
Be aware of it
Tune in to how you feel, what changes you experience, and what symptoms occur when you begin to feel overwhelmed. These might be low level, but the more you can recognise them, the earlier you can begin to take action to prevent it from becoming all consuming.
Untangle the ball of wool in your head
Quite often, overwhelm can make it difficult to think straight as there are too many tangled thoughts. Spending time working out what is causing you to feel overwhelmed might seem like yet another thing to do, but it is incredibly helpful. Journaling is a great way to do this; simply writing down thoughts as they come to you. I am always amazed at how much comes out!
Making some changes
Once you have worked out what is causing you to feel overwhelmed, take a good look at what is there and categorise it:
Is it something I can do anything about?
Does something need to be done about it now, or can it wait?
Are there things I can stop doing that would reduce the load?
Could someone else support me with anything?
Then, with the ones which need to be done by you, create a realistic schedule for when you can do them. I find that taking time to complete this step has an immediate and positive effect.
Looking after yourself is key
I know that when there is SO much to do, the last thing I think I should be doing is stopping for lunch, taking a break to go for a run, or chatting on the phone with a friend. Taking the time to do these things has such a beneficial effect on how we are feeling and will help to make things feel better, rather than worse.
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Feeling overwhelmed for a couple of hours, or even days while we get ourselves back on track is manageable. If you find you are feeling overwhelmed for any length of time, it might be a sign that you would benefit from the support of someone who can help you find effective ways to manage or resolve the cause of the feelings and emotions you are experiencing.
If you have found the content helpful, please share it with someone who would also benefit from reading this blog.
Take care
Jo
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