Psychology Today: What to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

"Being overwhelmed is a feeling of being “buried or drowned beneath a huge mass or defeated.” We feel like we cannot handle everything we have to deal with. We want to shut down. But when you have responsibilities, shutting down isn’t an option.

Here are some psychologically-based ideas that can help you manage these difficult times and the feelings that go with them. You don’t need to do them all, or to follow them in order. Pick and choose among them and discard anything that doesn’t work for you.

1. Make a list of the things that are overwhelming you, like tasks you need to accomplish, goals you’ve set for yourself, and things that worry or distress you. Include tasks like doing the laundry and making dinner, as well as goals and aspirations, and world events.
2. Write about your worries. A journal can be a useful tool in this effort, but so can an email to a friend or loved one. If you’re writing to someone, let them know at the very beginning of your email that you don’t expect them to solve the problem. You just want them to listen and maybe to help you put your concerns into words.
3. Talk to someone. A friend, a family member or other loved one, or a professional can all help you find words to express your feelings. Experiencing someone else’s understanding of similar emotions can be a major tool in managing the overwhelming aspects of life today.
4. We are often overwhelmed by the large picture in front of us. If you can find a way to start with one small step, you may start to feel better and, to your surprise, you might find that you begin to make headway on the larger goals you’ve set for yourself.
5. Go back to the list that you made earlier. Put a number from one to five next to each item, based on how easy it would be to do something about them. Next to everything that you could get done easily, for instance, put the number one, and next to the hardest things, put a five. Decide whether it would be better to get the hardest things out of the way, or to do the easiest ones first. You can try both ways and see what works for you.
6. Self-care is a crucial component of dealing with being overwhelmed. If you make sure that you are eating well, sleeping as well as you can, and paying attention to your feelings, you will be better prepared to cope with the problems that are overwhelming you.
7. Shutting down, much like a bear’s hibernation in winter, can be a way of riding out a difficult time and waking up when we have more resources to support survival. Although you can’t hibernate, you can limit how much you read and listen to distressing news.
8. Recognize that there are some things you can do something about, and some things you can’t influence.

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Reflection;

How do you cope when you're feeling overwhelmed?

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