3 Simple Tips for When You Feel Overwhelmed by Life
Are You Feeling Overwhelmed by Life?
Do you find that your life is a flurry of activity and overwhelm?
You lie in bed and suddenly remember something you forgot to do that day.
Does just getting through a day leave you feeling exhausted as your mental roller coaster just never seems to stop?
You can’t wait to climb into your bed, hoping tomorrow will be a better day. A new day with more time and energy. A day in which you can finally get to those long lists of tasks that never seem to end.
Well with a few strategic hacks such as planning properly, organizing, and reflecting overcoming the overwhelm can become easier to do than you thought.
3 Practical Ways for Overcoming Overwhelm
1. Do A Brain Dump
As the old saying goes if you don’t have a plan you don’t know where you going.
The first step when you feel overwhelmed in life is to keep it simple. That entails writing down everything you will ever need to retrieve from your brain.
In this technological world, people are bombarded with social calendars, apps, and programs all with the aim of simplifying our lives. Instead, all this does is overwhelm us more, and instead of saving you time, they take more brainpower to use as well as more skill to learn. You are also dependent on being connected to the internet – And this is not always possible.
The first tool to use to overcome overwhelm is the good old trusted to-do list.
Whether you use a notebook, a day planner, or a diary – just write it down.
A phone number, a date; a song you hear on the radio you want to download; a word you want to find the meaning of; a birthday; an appointment with the doctor, a lunch with a friend; record an expense; a phone call you need to make…..everything and anything that you need to do, remember or recall should be written down.
| A Good Actionable Tip #1:
Prepare Ahead Get in the habit of writing down your list of important to-do’s each night before you go to bed. This will not only help you sleep better as you don’t have to constantly think about what needs to be done the next day but will also give you the added advantage of starting off the new day with an organized plan. This is a surefire way to help you feel more in control when you feel overwhelmed by life. |
2. Get Organized
As important as writing everything down you need to do it in some order.
Day planners are good for this as they have ready-made sections where you can record things in sections.
When you have far more information than can fit in a simple planner and you need to have access to it daily – the good old lever arch file or 3-ring binder is your new best friend.
Have sections for everything – your to-do list, your list of appointments, your printouts of the eating plan you are on, your daily inspirational reading, notes on each project you working on, and a list of all your accounts with the relevant contact numbers, a simple budget form. The list is endless and unique to your life.
A good idea is to divide each area into sections and color code each section.
The file is neat and organized, easy to carry around, and definitely does not need you to be “plugged in” or connected to Wi-Fi in order to be able to use it.
Having everything documented and in one place can help you overcome the overwhelm you feel when everything is disorganized.
It frees up so much more time. The time that would otherwise be wasted on looking for things.
| A Good Actionable Tip #2:
Count Backwards It sounds simple, but counting backward from 100 is a great way to distract yourself from pressure and reset your mindset. This easy trick is the perfect way to get started doing a task that you’ve been putting off. Simply sit back, close your eyes, and count backward thinking only of the numbers instead of what is overwhelming and stressing you out. |
3. Schedule Downtime
Just as important as having a written plan in an organized way is the ability to step away from all the noise and overwhelm in life.
Unplug. Recharge time. Time just to be in the moment. This practice is known as mindfulness.
Enjoy a few minutes throughout the day when you can just sit and be. Spend a few minutes just taking in the sounds around you. Reflect on a flower. Take the time to do a short meditation. These moments of clarity and stillness will be so much easier to do when you know that every other aspect of your life has been recorded.
| A Good Actionable Tip #3:
Exercise Nothing works like exercise when it comes to dealing with the pressure of overwhelming feelings. Not only does the act itself take your mind off of whatever is stressing you out, but it also helps your brain to release positive endorphins that can make you feel great. People who exercise regularly report feeling less stress and pressure at work and at home. |
Related Resource:
Free No Opt-in Download: The Power of Meditation
In Closing
Learning to deal with and manage feelings of being overwhelmed can seem daunting at first.
However, by taking a little time out initially to sort and organize the clutter in our brains and our environments we can reap the benefits sooner rather than later.
Taking time to do organized planning will result in an actionable to-do list that lets you take control and manage those feelings of being overwhelmed instead.
Add in some downtime and a little exercise and you will feel ready to take on the world in no time at all.
What other useful hacks do you use when you feel overwhelmed by life? Leave a comment
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3 Simple Tips for When You Feel Overwhelmed by Life