I have been there. The countless worries of everyday life sucking the enjoyment right out of my life. The plagued thoughts of needing to get too many things done in a certain timeframe or else something bad will happen. Maybe I’ll upset someone, get fired or maybe life as I know it will end. These nonsense thoughts build up the pressure in my head, making my eyes want to pop out. I am unable to concentrate on anything at all because I am replaying all the other things that are coming next on my to do list or on my next week’s agenda. This is what I call complete overwhelm. Now let’s add a global pandemic to the mix. It’s enough to make anyone want to just curl up in bed in a fetal position!
It is so easy to get lost in the worry warp. Sometimes the people around you in your community or workplace fuel these thoughts. To make matters worse, the media don’t exactly set your mind at ease as bad news sells. But chances are, at one point or another, everyone of us has felt at least somewhat overpowered by this negative feeling of being crushed by everything that is going on. So what can we do get clarity on things and not let feelings of overwhelm control our mood and our mind?
Here are my tips to keep overwhelm at bay:
- Write them down. Get them on paper. What are the things, thoughts or people that are stealing your sense of zen? This list has to be complete. Don’t think too much about it. Give yourself one minute to just write whatever comes to mind. These will be your true culprits!
- Get clarity. Circle the words on your list that you have actual control over. What are the things that you can do something about? Example: If the world is out of toilet paper, you can’t really make your own right? So don’t circle this one!
- Prioritize. Take the circled words and beside them, number them from 1 to 10 (or more). The number 1 will be the thing that overwhelms you the most and 10 will be the least worrisome.
- Take action. Rewrite the top 10 in order of priority, 1 being priority number one. Beside each number, write down what you can do to make it so that it doesn’t take over your every thought. Ex. If your marking is top of the list, what can you do to make it less overwhelming? Do you need to plan out your week a little more on Sundays? Can you delegate any tasks to someone else? Are your older kids doing their part with the household chores, meals and running errands?
- Acknowledge your feelings. Every item on your list has merit. Don’t deny yourself the need to vent it out with a friend or a colleague. However, in order to get control over your feelings of overwhelm, you need to accept that you can’t control everything. What you can change can be done by making little changes at a time. Maybe your routines need revamping. Perhaps you need to kick an old habit and that alone will get you back on track. Maybe you’re taking on too much and your mind and body are trying to tell you to say NO MORE. Listen to your inner voice.
This world can be pretty crazy but it can also overwhelm us with good things. We just need to make room for them!