When have you felt overwhelmed? This can be a moment in your life where you thought everything was about to come crashing down or several moments that feel the same when certain circumstances arise.
We all feel overwhelmed throughout our lives and we experience it differently. No matter how you experience it, this is a real feeling that can impact your life for the worst or for the better (yes, I said it can be for the better!) Let’s read on to uncover the three steps to take when overcoming the overwhelming:
1. If the overwhelming is “good”, then use as much energy as you can to see it as such.
How do you know if these overwhelming circumstances you find yourself in are “good” or not?
This step takes visualization. Everyone is different and thus has a different vision for themselves. Who do you see yourself being in 5, 10, and 20 years? Who is it that you want to be? Whenever I feel overwhelmed, these questions along with being able to visualize who I want to be have been more than just helpful.
Say you’re feeling overwhelmed. How would you like your future self to be able to handle this situation? What choices would they make and what would they do to make it better for you and others who may be involved?
If you have a hard time picturing your future self handling these conflicts, think of someone you deeply admire and how they might react in the same situation. Not only does this help you to clearly identify the next steps you need to take, but as you perfect this practice, you will begin to see that being overwhelmed isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you can have control over it.
When I was dealing with frequent panic attacks related to my fear of germs (and knew that this was a fear I wanted to overcome), I would picture myself being free from those enslaving feelings, which is how I wanted to be. I would tell myself repeatedly that certain things didn’t bother me because I understood that some germs were good, healthy, and even needed. With practice, the panic attacks ceased to come as frequently as they did before. When I was put in a situation where I could feel the anxious feelings beginning to return, I would remind myself how I was going to be, and how that could be me now. I knew what to do to calm my feelings whether that was reminding myself that some germs are good or even entering the process I would take to clear them out of my space enough for me to regain composure.
Often, feeling overwhelmed can be a good thing, especially if you can use it to drive you to the person you want to become. If it helps you improve, take advantage of the times you feel overwhelmed!
2. Learn how to break it down into simple steps so it is no longer overwhelming.
Okay, I just created a little worksheet to help with this step. If you’d like it (it’s free) click here.
This step is pretty self-explanatory, but basically you need to break down this big chunk of what is making you feel so overwhelmed to instead be something you can chew!
Have you ever accidentally taken too big of a bite of food? Right when someone has asked you a question? And it seems like forever before you’ve swallowed and can actually address their question? Lucky you if not but it can be a super uncomfortable situation if you have. Not only do you have this giant piece of food to work on but you also have the outside factor of someone waiting on you, as well as the awkwardness and embarrassment that comes with it building up and begging to burst through on the inside.
It’s time to take smaller bites.
Did you get that?
Break down all the chaos that’s happening around you and take it on one step at a time.
A small bite of food can be chewed within a few seconds, the person who asked you the question can wait that long without feeling bad about their timing, and you have been spared the awkwardness. What would have been considered an overwhelming moment is now happening with ease because you’ve conquered the skill of breaking big tasks down into simple steps (way to be!).
3. Instead of calling a task “overwhelming”, label it as something more appealing.
This was one of the tools I came across in my days of being introduced to life coaching and it has been a complete game changer.
Things only have certain meaning because we label them as such.
If we say something is “overwhelming”, guess what? We’re giving that something a whole lot of power over us that it doesn’t need to have, and it’s going to be overwhelming.
What are some other words you could use in place of “overwhelming”? Depending on the kind of person you are, and where you find energy and motivation, this word can be anything. What do you think about the words “exciting”, “encouraging”, or even “relaxing”? Think about what word is most powerful to you and try saying that instead. It can completely change what you think and how you react to any given situation.
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These rules or steps to take when overcoming the overwhelming are incredibly powerful. Please use them!
As someone who used to get overwhelmed pretty easily, I say that it’s worth the work that it takes to make these a regular part of your life. It’s time to take charge and grow through what you’re going through!
Which step are you most excited about implementing? Comment below!
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