How to cope with feeling overwhelmed. It’s hard to find someone who isn’t dealing with feelings of being overwhelmed. Between jobs, family, society’s expectations and even keeping up with social media, it’s no wonder that we sometimes want to curl up under the covers and never come out.

I know that I’m horrible when it comes to saying no and I absolutely tend to take on too many things. A new project or business idea is like a shiny diamond that I can’t say no to. The consequence is that I wind up taking on too many things and then either I don’t give everything the attention that its due or I burn out and quit everything. As a result, I start being down on myself and I forget all the things I have done and focus only on the negative. Then the downward spiral begins.

While I’m not perfect in dealing with my emotions, there are some techniques which I try to employ whenever I start to panic.

HOW TO COPE WITH FEELING OVERWHELMED

Accept That You Will Be Stressed. As much as sometimes I’d like to live on a deserted island with no internet, I know that’s not really a possibility. Now that I think about it, something on that island would probably stress me out at some point anyway. Stress and overwhelm comes in waves, the better prepared we are the easier it will be to get through it. The best way to handle what is coming is to breathe deeply and let it wash over you. Know and understand how you will be feeling. Accept the discomfort, understand that this what we need to grow and that it’s not necessarily a bad thing and then ride the wave. It won’t necessarily be present, but in the back of your mind listen to a little voice telling you that you will come out stronger on the other side.

The worst thing you can do during this time is to start freaking yourself out by the ‘what ifs’ syndrome. This happens when you lose yourself to all the things that might happen. Instead, figure out what the worst case scenario is if something doesn’t get finished. Chances are that if you put something off, nothing really horrible will happen.

Focus On The Present. When there are lots of things on the go, it’s super easy to start thinking about everything at once. If you start feeling your brain getting out of control, stop and focus on the present. It’s important to be mindful about what is happening right now and not on what might happen or what you still need to do. Quite often it’s the fear of the unknown that causes anxiety and stress, rather than what we might be working on at that very moment.

Women often pride themselves with being great multi-taskers, but I believe that we are fooling ourselves when we think that we can do many things at once. Your work (this includes leisure time) will suffer and pretty soon overwhelm will set in, because nothing will be getting done.

Decide What Needs To Get Done. I know how hard it can be to pick one thing and finish it to completion without getting distracted. The best way not to get overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done is to sit down and prioritize everything. Sit down, figure out exactly what you have to do, including personal and business obligations, and make a list. Firstly, when it’s written down nothing will feel obscure and you will have a concrete list that you can work with. Second, you’ll be better able to gauge how much time it takes to complete each task, thus making it easier to plan.

Here’s the thing, we are all going to have different priorities at different stages in our lives and that’s perfectly normal. Sometimes family has to come first and sometimes work does. The goal is to accept the stress and the only way you can do that is to accept the stress and find a balance between all the things that are on your plate.
If you find that your list is getting very long, simply complete a few of the quick and easy tasks that you have. It may be psychological, but you will feel better when that list looks shorter.

Sometimes Done Is Good Enough. Remember that not everything has to be perfect or done all the time. After you’ve made that oh so important list, be honest with yourself about what actually needs to be perfect. Can you go a few days or a week without vacuuming the floor? I grew up in a household where my mother ironed the dishrags. Was this really necessary or did it cause extra work? Does everything have to be done to perfection or can things just be done. That’s the question you really need to ask yourself. If we had all the time in the world I’m sure everything would be perfect but, in reality it’s just not so.