Avoid.
Avoiding can show up as denying, procrastinating, repressing, running, and dissociating.
Control.
Controlling can show up as manipulation, abuse of others, seeking out positions of authority, status seeking, and passive-aggressive behaviour.
Submit.
Submitting can show up as accommodation, self-sacrifice, self-sabotage, wishy-washy decision making, lacking boundaries, losing personal integrity, feeling disempowerment, being ‘nice’ by being compliant or codependence.
The first step of dealing with overwhelm in a healthy way is to be aware of your reactive or reflexive responses.
Once you are aware, you can make a conscious choice to deal with overwhelm in a healthy way.
Here are some healthy ways to cope with overwhelm {start simple and small, then add more if needed}.
- stop living in the future
- focus on just one thing
- feeling powerless often stems from childhood, do inner child therapy to heal
- drop negative judgements {of yourself and others}
- pick one {or ten} things to say no to
- pick one {or ten} things to delegate
- take a break {stretch, breathe, meditate, walk, sip tea}
- block your time, set a timer and focus on one task until you’re completed it
- be realistic about how much time things take and how much time you have
- simplify {your schedule, your home, your commitments, your clothes, your chores … everything}
- get rid of clutter {try removing three things everyday for a month}
- what’s most aligned with your values? do those things.
- write down your top three priorities for the day and let everything else go
- use RescueTime or Any.do
- schedule in self-care, make an appointment with yourself and stick to it
- unsubscribe – clear the clutter out of your inbox
- remember that imperfect is good enough
- get support with Care or TaskRabbit
- remember you don’t have to do your best at everything
- accept the feelings of overwhelm and trust they will pass
- rewrite any negative story you might be telling about being defective because you’re overwhelmed
- sleep, nap, daydream – give your brain enough time to rest and recharge
- remember – you are in complete control of your thoughts, use cognitive behavioural therapy to get a handle on your thoughts if needed
- choose thoughts that support you in feeling calm, confident, and in control
- drop the multi-tasking mindset {single tasking is much healthier}
- take breaks throughout the day to do diaphragmatic breathing
- focus on the big picture – what matters most?
Challenge yourself to make the changes you need to make so you feel less overwhelmed and more free to live a life you love.