“You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.”
~ Timber Hawkeye
Overwhelm can feel like weathering a storm with your endless responsibilities swirling around you.
You have emails to answer. Dinner to put on the table. Children to pick up. People to please.
Where do you even begin?
The stress is enough to make you want to retreat under the bed covers and escape the world, even for a moment.
Fortunately, there’s no need to run away. You can learn how to manage overwhelm so you don’t burn out with a few tips you can start being in action with today.
Are you ready to calm the raging storm?
Let’s get started.
What Are the Symptoms of Overwhelm?
Symptoms of overwhelm often manifest during busy or difficult stages of your life. It can affect your mind and body in the following ways:
- Anxiety
- Muscle tension or bracing
- Shortness of breath
- Brain fog
- Irritability
- Forgetfulness
- Cluttered mind
- Difficulty sleeping
It’s normal to experience these symptoms every once in a while. However, if these symptoms are the “new norm” for you, then there’s an underlying cause you might need to address.
Why Do You Feel Overwhelmed All the Time?
Overwhelm often happens when you’re faced with more than you can handle.
You might be feeling overwhelmed at work when you set unrealistic expectations for yourself. Or maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed with life in general because you give away too much of your time and energy.
Another reason for your overwhelm is because self-care is optional for you. You neglect your mind, body, and spirit as you work through the stress. Your mind goes into overdrive and your body buckles under the pressure and stress.
If you’re not careful and do this for too long, you’ll eventually suffer from signs of burnout.
What is Overwhelm Really?
Overwhelm is a temporary state of being, often affected by how you manage your time and energy.
In life, you transition between stages of busy periods and rest periods. However, poor actions and habits that stem from poor planning can make those busy periods more stressful than necessary.
The secret to avoiding and recovering from overwhelm is to introduce new habits that improve your productivity, resilience to stress, and self-esteem.
How to Manage Overwhelm
Here are a few tips to help you conquer overwhelm and reclaim your life.
#1 Maintain an Evening Routine
Mornings are often the busiest and most stressful part of the day.
You’re rushing to get ready for work, dress the children for school, pack lunches, and make it out the door in time. The clock is ticking.
Instead of rushing through a stressful morning, ease into it by following an evening routine. By doing the following tasks the evening before, you can kickstart your mornings:
- School and work lunches
- Lay out your clothes
- Create an agenda for the next day’s schedule
- Quickly tidy up around the house
- Meditate to calm your busy mind
- Review your goals
- Set a bedtime to improve your sleep
Avoid burning out by beginning each day rested, prepared, and ready to go.
#2 Say No
Reduce overwhelm by screening the people and tasks that enter your life.
To do this, start with identifying your priorities and values.
My top three priorities are self-care, family, and helping my clients thrive. When somebody asks me to do something that doesn’t align with my priorities and values, I give myself permission to say “no.” Doing this helps me set healthy boundaries and avoid unnecessary obligations that can lead to burnout.
What priorities do you carry in your life? Is what you’re doing and how you’re living aligning with those priorities?
#3 Outsource What You Can
Trying to do everything yourself puts you on the fast track to burnout.
Accept that sometimes you can’t do it all and that’s okay.
If you need a helping hand, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also, if you have the means, you can outsource some of your responsibilities.
For example, you can save time by getting your groceries delivered to you each week. Or you can hire a nanny to offload some of your caretaking responsibilities.
If you’re a business owner, you can delegate administrative tasks like handling emails and data entry to a virtual assistant.
List your own work and personal responsibilities. What tasks can you outsource to make your life easier or more efficient?
#4 Take a Walk in the Park
At work, you think about your unanswered emails and looming deadlines. At home, you focus on cooking dinner, washing laundry, and cleaning.
You feel guilty about taking a break because you know that there’s always something that needs doing. This is because your environment is a visual reminder of the work that awaits you.
To help clear your mind, try introducing a change of scenery. Leave your phone at home and go for a 30-minute walk in the park. Enjoy the warm sunshine on your face and savor the fresh air filling your lungs.
Changing your physical location can ease your overwhelm and lift your mood. And taking regular walks in the park can improve your health and protect you from burnout.
Overcome Overwhelm with Self-Love
Overwhelm can sometimes feel like a raging storm that will never end. Instead of “escaping” the storm, learn how to weather it and do better next time.
However, this requires you to forgive and love yourself when you make mistakes. And that’s often difficult to do — especially when you have a world of responsibilities weighing on your shoulders.
That’s why I want you to sign up for my free From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge.
During these 7 days, we’ll look at what’s really going on beneath the signs of burnout and I’ll give you simple strategies for how to turn things around so you can get on the path towards balance and enjoying your life (again).
If you’re ready to break out of the burnout cycle and desire to be…
- Relaxed and confident, knowing you’re tending to the most important priorities
- Energized, clear and focused
- Calm, easy-going and peaceful
- Sleeping like a baby and waking up rested
- Engaged, inspired and passionate about your life
Join me by clicking here to sign up for my next From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge. It’s Free!