Overcoming the feeling of being overwhelmed

With so much happening in our day to day lives, from demands in work, household chores, social commitments and looking after family it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes, it may not even be all these things that’s making you feel like this and it’s simply one aspect of your life which seems to becoming all consuming of your time- most often than not this will usually be work.

In these times of constantly having to be on the go it can be quite easy to experience feelings of being overwhelmed, stressed, tired, fatigue and even anger. If not managed well in turn this can start to impact how you are coming across to others and your relationships.

So what can you do if you’re experiencing a particularly busy time in your life or work which is making you feel overwhelmed?

First thing is acceptance. It’s really important to acknowledge that throughout life there will be times when things are busy and other times when it may not seem like there’s much going on. By simply recognising the current situation and accepting it for what it is can in itself make you feel better. It’s through this acceptance that you can also start to understand that the situation is temporary and things will change and get better.

Secondly, it’s really important to understand what you have control over and the things you simply can’t control. If you find yourself constantly bombarded by work it’s important to identify what has led to that. Is it a particular manager, colleague or a situation at your company or work? When we start to explore this more we can often start to see just how much control we have and also the action we can take to changing this.  Could this be speaking to your manager, prioritising the most important things, journaling your emotions so that you feel better or setting expectations that it’s not possible for you to do anymore. When we start to identify factors in our control this will help to reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed but also start to eliminate some of the pressure.

Thirdly, and probably the most important aspect is always finding the time to incorporate something into your day that will make you feel better. This could be having a brief catch up with a friend you enjoy speaking to, doing some exercise or yoga, taking a mindful stroll outside, listening to music or watching something that makes you laugh. By incorporating a bit of enjoyment daily not only helps to release positive hormones like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin but also adds more meaning to your day.

So if you feel overwhelmed and wonder if there’s anything you can do to change your situation, just remember absolutely there is and you have more control than you may have initially realised.