Coping with Overwhelm

If there is one word that would best summarize how the majority of my clients feel right now, it’s overwhelmed.  The overwhelm is different from the type we saw during COVID that contributed to so many experiencing burnout.  This overwhelm feels incessant, almost insidious.  People describe feeling overwhelmed because of financial strain, the never-ending demands at work, all the while trying to navigate emotionally challenging relationships.  It’s a lot. 

In light of this, I wanted to share three coping strategies to help cope with that sense of overwhelm, especially for those acute moments when it all feels like too much:

1)    Take a mental & emotional break.  There are some situations that are so mentally and emotionally demanding, it’s hard to break their grip on us.  However, when we’re exhausted, our brains are less likely to provide us with the insight we need.  Promise yourself that you will come back to the task at hand, but first, take a brisk walk, get some fresh air, take some deep breaths.  This will calm your nervous system, rid your body of some of that pent-up stress and increase your ability to make informed decisions, as opposed to reactive ones.

2)    Identify what is priority.  Where is your energy most needed?  This can be challenging, especially when we have multiple to-do lists on the go.  That being said, the more time we spend flooded with all that needs to be done, the less time we’ll actually spend getting it done.  If you struggle with identifying what should be priority, I have two suggestions.  You can either start with the easiest task (if you need a quick win), or you can start with the most demanding task so that all your morning energy goes towards your most pressing priority.

3)    Do the next best thing.  When we feel overwhelmed, we crave a complete narrative about how everything is going to work out perfectly.  Unfortunately, we don’t have that much control.  That’s why the best thing you can do is determine what the next right step is.  Maybe the best thing is you going for that walk, or you scheduling an appointment with your financial advisor, or you connecting with that therapist.  Whatever it may be – slow yourself down and ask yourself, what is one thing that I can do in this moment that will help me move out of analysis paralysis and into a state of doing and accomplishing?  Do that thing. 

In parting, I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes by Timber Hawkeye about feeling overwhelmed, “You can’t calm the storm… so stop trying.  What you can do is calm yourself.  The storm will pass.”