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7 Simple (But Important) Things to Remember About Feeling Overwhelmed

September 21st, 2018

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Everyone's experience in life is unique and individual because there is no one person on earth that is like you. We all live different lives and are different people, no matter how close you may be with someone or if you are from the same family, religion, community, etc. But one thing for certain is that everyone at one point or many points in time has experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed. Are you feeling overwhelmed with life? Feeling overwhelmed at work? Or feeling overwhelmed in general, and having no idea why? While these are simple, listed below are 7 important things to remember about feeling overwhelmed and how to stop feeling overwhelmed.

7 Things to Remember About Feeling Overwhelmed

  1. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Your experience of feeling overwhelmed is one that everyone has experienced at least once in their life. People have a tendency to make difficult moments like feeling overwhelmed by something singular to them, consequently internalizing these moments. People begin to feel like something is wrong with them and that feeling overwhelmed is their fault. But that is not true. This is detrimental to your mental health and only causes the feeling of being overwhelmed to feel worse. Remember you are not alone in feeling overwhelmed. Whether you know it or not, someone is feeling overwhelmed just like you.
  2. Share your feelings with someone you trust. If you are feeling overwhelmed, tell someone. Your friends and family are your support system, and you do not have to suffer alone. Allow your friends and family to carry some of the weight. They may not understand everything about what you are experiencing but having someone listen to you can help. Knowing people care is important and they may surprise you and offer help you didn’t know you needed.
  3. Change aspects of your life. Look into areas of your life that may be causing you to feel overwhelmed. If you are feeling overwhelmed at work for example reflect on what about work is causing you to feel that way. Are you working too much? Is your job taking away from other aspects of your life, like spending time with family? Whatever it may be find a way to make changes to the situation. If you are feeling overwhelmed about life, discover specifically what about is feeling overwhelming. Are you not sure who you are? Are there major changes happening? Are you not sure what your purpose is? These are all normal experiences that can cause people to feel overwhelmed with life. Make a change and self-reflect or talk in therapy. Find out what about life is feeling overwhelming.
  4. Find moments of peace. Life can be extremely busy leaving no time to enjoy yourself or find inner peace, and that can cause many people to feel overwhelmed. Feeling overwhelmed can be linked to high levels of stress. Find the time to de-stress and relax. Inner peace eliminates anxieties, fears, and worries. It can remove negative thoughts, stress, lack of satisfaction, and unhappiness, all of which can be linked to feeling overwhelmed. Participating in activities like Yoga, reading books for enjoyment, meditating, taking long walks, etc. Do whatever brings you peace and removes your mind from the daily stresses of life.
  5. Prioritize. Whether you work more than one job, run a business, raise a family, or all of the above, juggling many tasks and responsibilities at once can cause you to feel overwhelmed. Prioritizing what needs to be done now rather than later can decrease feeling overwhelmed. This is not limited to work tasks but also personal tasks. Prioritizing a workout you have been putting off because it lowers your stress levels, keeps you in shape as well as has mood-boosting power is important and should have priority. Making visuals of what you need to accomplish weekly on a calendar or making a to-do list can also put everything into perspective. Instead of holding everything in your head, you can visually see everything coming up in the present and future.
  6. Set boundaries. We can get caught up in doing things for other people, even if it is something that we may not have room for on our plate. This can be taking on more tasks at work, running extra errands for your partner, or doing extra volunteer work at your school. Either way, while many of us take on more responsibilities because we want to help others or are simply important to us, we have to know when to say no. Saying no or turning things down is healthy and helps create necessary boundaries. It is important to know when enough is enough and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed. Setting boundaries also includes setting certain times you'll do things with your family or certain times you won't take calls, etc. Setting boundaries is just as necessary as letting people know these boundaries. Other people won't respect your time unless you respect your time first.
  7. Have fun! When was the last time you laughed so hard that you cried? Or did something as simple as bowling with your friends? When was the last time you grabbed ice cream with your kids or had a movie night with your siblings? Whatever “fun” is to you, do it! Life is overwhelming, there is no doubt about that. So feeling overwhelmed is a very common experience. When we take the time to work hard at school or at our jobs, we must take the time to work just as hard at having fun. Work hard, play harder, and stop feeling overwhelmed!

Clarity Clinic

At Clarity Clinic, we have highly trained staff who specialize in therapy and psychiatry services. To learn more about how we can support your mental health, call Clarity Clinic at (312) 815-9660 or schedule an appointment today. Schedule Now

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