WHAT TO DO WHEN FEELING OVERWHELMED? 5 Steps Toward Gaining Control & Clarity

 

Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. 

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Emotional and cognitive overload is the feeling you get when everything seems to be coming at you at once. 

The speed feels relentless and the demands are escalating exponentially. 

Almost everyone can identify with the pressure of the feeling of overwhelm. Too much to do and not enough time! The question, in that  moment,  becomes- What do I do? 

Unless we are talking about circumstances in which your training has prepared you for rapid-fire decision making and execution, such as  working in the emergency room or on military special operations missions, your personal situation in which you are feeling the stress of overwhelm is likely due to a life that has snuck up on you. Your To-Do list that once felt manageable has now grown to include a  plethora of responsibilities with strict deadlines that you did not entirely anticipate. Or, an unexpected and serious situation developed that will now require your attention and time, and subsequently a pivoting and shifting of your day-to-day schedule that was already full prior to this crisis.

Whatever the circumstances, the confusion of what to do next is in all likelihood stemming from both a lack of control and clarity that have simultaneously hijacked your executive functions, the command center within the frontal lobes of your brain that under calmer circumstances have no or minimal difficulty determining the best next action step(s). 

But for now, you're in  need of control and clarity  and under the weight of the exorbitant pressure, you're freezing. Nothing other than growing feelings of anxiety and panic are happening. 

What Can You Do? 

Immediate Steps

1.    PUSH THE PAUSE BUTTON: Push it quickly. Stop and assess. If there's time, go for a walk or some other simple physical activity that will help create distance between you and the overwhelming feelings. If your walk or physical activity can include being outdoors in nature, then you accrue bonus points. 

2.    BREAK IT DOWN: Grab a blank sheet of paper and jot the situation down. Break down the challenging or complex set of tasks. Continue to break them down further, until they become smaller and smaller.  View your list and quickly organize and prioritize what needs to be addressed immediately. 

3.   BREATHE: Give yourself time to take a few, deep diaphragmatic breaths. This will help bring restoration to your nervous system. 

Here is a basic guide to accessing this breath: 

• get into a comfortable seated position.

• breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Imagine you are fogging a mirror with your breath. 

• when breathing, inhale to contract the diaphragm to create space for your lungs to expand, and when you exhale, relax the diaphragm and gently push the air from your lungs.

•  inhale and exhale to a slow count of 4

Now that you have hit the pause button, broken down the tasks on paper, and breathed, take immediate action. Get started doing something; especially the tasks you prioritized as being most important. Keep working your way through your list. As you move forward and are keeping a tally on what is still left to do, balance this with looking back at all you have completed. This will help combat feelings of fatigue and defeat and bring about momentum and motivation. 

Practice saying to yourself:

I can only successfully focus on one thing at one time, and by paying attention to what I am paying attention to, I will get through the actions on my To-Do list in a calmer, and more organized and efficient manner. 

If the feeling of overwhelm is growing and transforms into a panic attack, then you may benefit from the use a grounding technique such as the one featured below before attempting steps 1, 2 and 3. 

Grounding techniques are immediately available strategies that can help in managing the intensity and frequency of big emotions and feelings of distress, such as a panic attack. It allows you (and your brain) to step away from the negative thoughts and feelings through a distraction technique using your 5 senses. 

This method includes firmly situating your feet on the ground, taking slow, deep breaths, acknowledging aloud or silently (if in a room with others) what is observed in the present environment, and reminding yourself that you are safe. 

GROUNDING TECHNIQUE

Acknowledge 5 things you see.

Acknowledge 4 things you can touch.

Acknowledge 3 things you can hear.

Acknowledge 2 things you can smell.

Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste. 

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...including you. 

- Anne Lamott

Not So Immediate but Important Steps 

4. DEVELOP A SELF-CARE PRACTICE: This includes activities such as exercising, meditating, journaling, or engaging in an enjoyable hobby. 

5.   SEEK SUPPORT: Reach out to family, friends and other trusted individuals for help, guidance or just to obtain a different perspective or solution. Don't see yourself as being a burden. MOST people enjoy helping. 

If your situation requires more than "talking" with friends and family, and you believe a professional perspective will be helpful or you are looking for a little more support, such as when going through a major life transition, one of the best gifts you can give yourself is the gift of healing. Schedule an appointment with a licensed mental health professional. 

After you've taken care of the immediate, the "not so immediate" should be prioritized for long-term self-care and peace, and to eventually "find your calm." Be compassionate and remind yourself that you are human and not a machine. 

I am a 

human BE-ing

not a

human Do-ing

The information presented in this blog is intended for general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. As with most things in life, there isn't a magic pill or "cure-all" but there are strategies to help regain control of your life.

Quiet your mind. 

Energize your body. 

Reclaim your sense of peace. 

If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more, then let's connect:

 FACEBOOK: Marie Therese Rogers

 Atlantic Behavioral Health Professionals

 Life in Focus

 LINKEDIN:  Marie T. Rogers, Ph.D. 

 INSTAGRAM: Mariethereserogers

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