Life has a tendency to pile up on occasion. Our commitments and responsibilities leave us feeling depleted, stretched thin, and at times, completely overwhelmed and exhausted. Life in general begins feeling like an uphill struggle to maintain our balance and peace of mind. You are merely surviving, not thriving. Sound familiar? If so, you are in the right place. In this blog post, I will walk you through 5 empowering techniques that will equip you with tools to navigate the overwhelm, rediscover your center, and regain control.
I’m no stranger to overwhelm. In the last couple of months, I have started a business, said my good-byes to my college bound child, helped my oldest son look for his first home, prepared my daughter to enter middle school, had some sudden health issues pop up for family members, started teaching dance for the first time in years, and I’m helping my mom move in a short time frame. Now add in maintaining a household, nurturing personal relationships, keeping up with my daughter’s theatre life, and generally living the day to day and it’s a recipe for extreme overwhelm.
I’m not going to lie. It’s been rough. At the end of last week, I was feeling the overwhelm creep up. I even had a moment when I contemplated staying in bed all day and cancelling all my plans. My body and mind just had enough. So here are the 5 steps I took to come back to center.
1: Brain Dump (AKA Prioritize and Delegate):
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I grab a pen and paper and write down all my upcoming responsibilities and tasks that are swimming in my brain and weighing me down. I divide tasks into categories (see picture below). This helps me balance time spent in all areas of my life.
Once it’s all out on paper I start to prioritize my list based on importance and deadlines. I then designate times I can get my lists accomplished. This helps me take stock of all my responsibilities and identify the ones that require immediate attention as well as the ones that don’t.
If you are anything like me, this is important because in the midst of chaos everything feels urgent. In reality, that isn’t the case and distinguishing between the urgent and the non-urgent is key to calming the mind. Once I prioritize my list, I delegate what I can to family members, friends, or decide to hire help to lighten the load. This allows me to focus on critical matters with the peace of mind that I have a plan to tackle everything on my list in a timely manner. This feels very empowering and helps to get me out of that paralyzed feeling of I have so much to do but don’t know where to start conundrum.
2: Set Boundaries and Practice Self-Care:
When life gets chaotic, it’s essential to establish clear boundaries and carve out time for self-care. Ask yourself, what are my boundaries? Once you have them established in your own mind it’s time to communicate them to others. This may mean politely declining additional commitments or asking for patience, help, and/or support from those close to you.
In addition to setting firm boundaries, it’s important to engage in activities that nurture and replenish your mind, body, and soul. Things like exercise, taking a break to do something fun and out of the ordinary, meditation, and spending quality time with family will do wonders for your soul.
Unfortunately, these activities are usually the first to go when we are overwhelmed. A chaotic mind and exhausted body need a break from the grind not more work. Let yourself do things you love for an hour, a day, or whatever you need. With these practices in place, you will rediscover your equilibrium in no time.
To put this into practice I took the day off on Sat from doing anything on my to do list. Instead, I went to Glendi for some yummy Greek food with my husband and spent time making Halloween decorations with my family. It was a much-needed break that allowed me to get back to work on my goals on Sunday with more clarity.
3: Embrace Effective Time Management:
Learning to effectively manage your time can be a game-changer when it comes to conquering overwhelm. Some things may be out of your control, but most are not. Here are some efficient ways to manage your time to your advantage.
- Create and adhere to a schedule you create from your brain dump/to-do list.
- Schedule in catch up times for unplanned distractions.
- Allocate time slots for specific tasks. Start and stop when scheduled to stay on track. If you don’t finish, it goes back on the list for the next time slot open for that activity.
- Break larger projects into smaller more manageable tasks.
- Put technology to use by setting reminders or using productivity apps to help you stay on track.
- Streamline your work to create flow.
Using your time wisely will help you regain a feeling of control. Instead of wasting time jumping from one task to another aimlessly, you will be following a plan and know exactly what comes next and where you need to be when.
Usually, I am great at time management but occasionally when our schedules are amped up or too many unforeseen things pop up at the same time, I get out of rhythm with the speed of my current situation. That’s when I need to remember my time management skills the most. If time management isn’t your strength, then this is one of those times to ask for help (see more in my next tip).
Sidenote: If you are struggling with getting on track this school year with your kiddos check out my e-book Mastering Your Routines This School Year. I talk a lot about managing time and mastering routines. It’s a great resource to guide you into smoother days ahead.
4: Seek Support and Build a Community:
One of the most important things to remember when you are facing overwhelm is that you don’t have to face it alone. Make it a point to reach out to family and friends. You won’t always feel like it, but handling things alone is unnecessarily lonely and stressful. If needed, seek professional help or find support groups who can provide a listening ear, offer guidance, or lend a hand to ease the burden. Building a network of like-minded individuals who understand and support your journey can eliminate stress and provide useful feedback.
I admit I am not always good at this. In the past I have suffered in silence, but I am working on it and have learned to rely on my family and a few close friends. Each time I do it, it gets easier. I have learned to highlight other people’s strengths where I have weaknesses.
For instance, technology and I don’t get along, but my husband and middle son are great with it so when I run into a snag with anything technology related, I ask one of them for help. It takes them a fraction of the time it would have taken me to figure it out and now I know better for next time.
Leveraging other people’s skills is a great way to save time and highlight their strengths and downplay your weaknesses. Bumps in the road are inevitable but you have people in your corner that are willing to help. Seek them out!
5: Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude:
Last but not least, cultivate mindfulness and gratitude. Keep overwhelm at bay amidst the whirlwind of responsibilities by being present and having a grateful heart. It’s easy to lose sight of the present moment when things are coming at you fast and furious but cultivating mindfulness can keep you grounded and reduce feelings of overwhelm.
Take a few minutes to practice deep breathing, write in a journal to process feelings, meditate, or engage in activities that bring you peace and joy. Additionally, practice being grateful by acknowledging and truly appreciating the positive aspects of your life right now. Focus on what you have instead of what you don’t. It’s a real perspective shift and has a positive effect on your overall well-being and brings you back to center quickly.
When I do my brain dump, I put on soothing or uplifting music depending on what I need in the moment, grab a cup of tea, and begin with a few deep breaths to calm my mind and body. After a few breaths, a warm sip of tea, and the music filling my soul I am able to center myself enough to get my thoughts out in a more cohesive way. If I find myself getting overwhelmed again, I repeat my breathing and tune into the music and my breath for a few seconds. So far it has always worked for me. You might experiment until you find what works for you.
In Conclusion:
As any multitasking superwoman will tell you, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed by the endless responsibilities we collectively handle daily. By implementing these 5 strategies we can regain a feeling of empowerment and restore our sense of control and balance. To everyone reading this, this is your reminder that self-compassion and self-care are essential ingredients in your journey to conquer overwhelm. Take charge of your life again and celebrate small wins along the way. You’ve got this, and when you don’t, we’ve got each other.
Want to conquer your overwhelm before the holiday season rolls around?
Maybe get your house in order before guests arrive?
Or maybe you need some meal prep ideas to establish and/or maintain good eating habits at this busy time of year?
How about losing a few pounds?
I’m thinking of holding a 30 day Thriving Through the Holidays Challenge starting in mid-October and running until right before Thanksgiving. Hit reply on this email and let me know if you are interested in learning more.
Missed my previous blog about simplifying nutrition? Read it here.
Wishing you much love, health, and happiness,
Christine
