Are you struggling with the frequent feeling of being overwhelmed with life? Do you find yourself often stressed out, at your breaking point, and feeling unable to relax? If you relate to any of these feelings, you are not alone. Feeling overwhelmed is a common feeling and many people feel overwhelmed on a regular basis. If this is you, it doesn’t have to continue to feel this way. Let’s talk about what’s overwhelming you and how to stop feeling so overwhelmed.
Identifying The Cause of Overwhelm
First, it’s important to identify WHAT is causing you to feel overwhelmed. This will help you to identify what tools may be helpful for you to try. Some of the most common triggers of overwhelm are:
- Work stressors and work/life balance
- Family life, pregnancy, trying to conceive, motherhood, and parenting
- Relationships (intimate and family), conflict, separation and divorce, and coparenting
- Situations outside of your control
- What is happening in the world around you, politics, and issues either locally or globally
- Unmanaged symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance use, low self-esteem, etc.
- Health issues, whether short term or chronic
- Navigating death and dying and experiencing loss
Tips to Help
There are many things, and often times a combination of things, that can weigh on you and cause you to feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and unhappy. Think about the things that weigh heaviest on your mind and heart. Now let’s talk about how to combat those. If you want to stop feeling so overwhelmed, here are some tips you can try:
- Start using healthier coping tools such as: talking about how you’re feeling, asking for help, prioritizing your needs, and engaging in hobbies/activities that relax you or bring joy.
- Focus on outsourcing. Think about the things that are on your to-do list and consider delegating tasks, hiring help, and outsourcing the time/attention that tasks require so there is less on your plate.
- Stop trying to do it all. Often times some of the most overwhelmed people are simply doing too much. You can’t do it all and that’s okay. Coming to a place of acceptance with that can allow you to then focus on what you need to do next.
- Set healthy boundaries. If you’re overwhelmed, taking on more responsibility, saying “yes” when you want to or need to say “no”, and not having good boundaries to protect your time, energy, and emotions is not helping.
- Seek outside help and consider going to therapy. Counseling and mental health support can be a great way to work through what is causing you to be overwhelmed and learn healthy ways to cope.
While there is no one answer that will magically make you feel less overwhelmed instantly, there are a number of things you can do now to start feeling a little relief. If you are needing help figuring out what you need to help you manage the feelings of overwhelm you’re experiencing, reach out to me today and let’s talk about how we can work together to help you feel less stressed.
