5 Simple Tricks For Beating Overwhelm

Beating overwhelm can be tricky.

It creeps up over time and then all of a sudden you are drowning in anxiety and frustration and have no idea how to get out of it.

For me overwhelm shows up as a frenzied feeling, convincing me that everything needs to be done now.

If I’m not careful, I will fall down the rabbit hole chasing endless lists and tasks in search of that elusive peace of mind that tells me I’ve got everything under control.

But that peace of mind never comes because you can’t beat overwhelm by doing more.

Here’s the truth:

Overwhelm isn’t actually about what is going on outside of you – it is all about what is going on inside of you.

This is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way again and again.

In order to beat overwhelm, it is critical to start noticing the cues your mind and body are sending you when you find yourself overwhelmed. These are important signals to watch out for so that you can catch yourself before you fall down your own rabbit hole.

How does it show up in your thoughts? Your body? How do you take it out on others? Yourself?

5 Simple Tricks For Beating Overwhelm

Once you’ve identified that you are in overwhelm here are a number of strategies for getting you out.

Get stuff out of your brain. You’ve heard it here before – you need to dump the to-dos and tasks out of your brain and do it routinely. You are on overload, my friend! Write your tasks down so you stop wasting your energy remembering everything.

Plan your whens. This can take some practice but it is a critical piece to beating overwhelm. It is one thing to know what you have to do – it is an entirely new level of productivity to know when you will do it. As you scan your to-do list, connect each task with an available time slot on your calendar. Stick to it like you would any other appointment.

Work less. Oh yes – this is a doozy! There is solid research that backs up how working less can make you more productive. So take a vacation, create no-work days, take a 5 minute break every 2 hours – you name it! Your mind will thank you.

Get more sleep. This is another big one. Often we feel more overwhelmed the more tired we get – and yet we don’t realize that is the cause of the overwhelm. Only 4% of the entire world’s population can operate at peak performance on less than 7 hours of sleep. Are you really one of them?

Connect to your source. Call it God, Allah, the Universe or Source, you need an avenue to ground and connect you. What helps you center yourself? Prayer? Meditation? Being outdoors? Without maintaining our connection to the spiritual side of life, things always feel more overwhelming.

Are You Ready To Upgrade Your Time Management Systems?

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If you’d prefer to have immediate feedback as you build your system click here to learn about my productivity coaching programs.