How do you deal with overwhelm?

Posted on by Senia

Friday Questions!

How do you deal with overwhelm?

Being overwhelmed can often mean that the things that are happening to you are all good things. Still it can be a lot of them. What are some of your strategies for dealing with being overwhelmed?

6 thoughts on “How do you deal with overwhelm?”

  1. Here are some general suggestions, and then specific things I actually do.

    General:
    * Just like getting out of bad moods, you can use the A.P.E. method for getting out of an overwhelming situation.
    * Exercise! Always. For everything.
    * Good, loud music.
    * Changing your body posture, your physical location, moving around.
    * Prioritizing.
    * Rescheduling to put in some prioritizing time.
    * Breathing. Meditation. Breathing.

    Specific:
    Here are some specific things I do:
    * Write everything down, so I don’t forget anything.
    * Move the important things to the top of my list.
    * DO the top two or three immediately.
    * Exercise.
    * Relax – deliberately.
    * Swift things around. Remove some items.
    * Ask folks for help if I need it.

  2. Great information Senia. I sometimes go into overwhelm when a lot of things come off at once or are due around the same time. Like moving house last weekend when I started a new job which required me to work both Saturday and Sunday.

    I check in with a support person (coach or friend) for a reality check.
    Delegate what I can.
    Try and keep in the moment.
    Try to keep it simple.
    Be kind to myself (self care).
    Know it will pass.

    I am now sitting in my lovely new premises with most boxes unpacked. I let my Husband do a lot of what I would have done and I let go of the control. Now I am thinking what else can he do?????

  3. Hmmm…. very good question.
    You listed just about everything that I do:
    * write everything down do I don’t forget
    * prioritize the list
    among others.

    Also,
    * I also see what I can do quickly and feel accomplished. It might not be priority but if it falls within the top 5, I might get it out of the way so I can feel accomplished, especially if the top few are larger projects.
    * Atlanta’s suggestion of delegating is good, so long as the situation can allow that.
    * Another thing sometimes is get the input of others. I am an interactive guy that thinks well when talking with others. Getting the perspective of my friends that know me well and what is important to me helps me a lot sometimes.

    Good question.
    Nick

  6. I’m with Nick, I like doing something small that I can easily do immediately so I can feel it’s progressing. Then I feel more confident about tackling other, bigger things.

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