What To Do When You Feel Overwhelmed All The Time
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What To Do When You Feel Overwhelmed All The Time
Are you sick of feeling constantly under pressure and overwhelmed? It’s not uncommon to go through the occasional period of overwhelm, but if you spend more time overwhelmed than not, it’s time to take back control.
Today, I thought I would share the 9 steps I’ve found most useful for tackling my own sense of overwhelm.
Write it down
It might be terrifying to think about how much you have to do. But sometimes, the fear of what you have to do is more than what your to-do list actually is! So let’s sit down, put pen to paper and figure out what needs to be done.
Make sure you list:
Work/study tasks
Household tasks
Hobby/skill-building tasks
Social events and plans
Tasks for any dependents (children, furbabies)
Self-care tasks
Any miscellaneous niggling little admin tasks
You might also like to note down any due dates or deadlines.
Log off
One simple step to reduce overwhelm is to get yourself off social media. While it does have its uses and benefits, social media is also a huge influx of information that your brain has to cope with.
Social media is also where many of us find ourselves lacking because we compare ourselves. While you might know that socials are a highlight reel of someone’s life, it can still make you feel crummy when you’re already under pressure.
Even if it’s just for the weekend, log out of your social media channels. Need to stay logged in for work or business? Snooze your notifications for a few hours. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s a great way to clear your mind.
Make time to do nothing
I know it’s tempting to schedule every minute of your day to get more done. But as counterintuitive as it might seem, doing nothing might be exactly what you need.
When you’re overwhelmed, your nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode. This would be really handy if you needed to fight to save your life… but it’s not useful when your enemy is a never-ending to-do list!
By taking some time to have a break, you give your nervous system a chance to calm down.
The calmer your nervous system, the easier it is to think clearly and make better decisions.
When I say do nothing, I don’t mean scroll through social media (that would contradict my previous tip!) or rewatching Friends. I mean sit, think, take some deep breaths, maybe journal your thoughts. Do a little check-in with yourself about what’s going on and what you can do.
What if you struggle with doing nothing? Choose something you can do with your hands, but that allows your mind the space to wander. Colour, draw, garden, bake, cook – and while you do, give your brain time to chip away at the mental sources of overwhelm.
Automate your routines
One big contributor to overwhelm is what’s known as ‘decision fatigue’. Put simply, if you use up all of your mental energy deciding what to eat, what to wear and which workout to do, you’ll have nothing left for bigger decisions.
This is where automating your routines can help to alleviate overwhelm. Do the same (or similar) tasks and habits when you get up in the morning. That way, your brain doesn’t have to expend that energy and can use it for something else.
For example, my current morning routine consists of:
Drink some water and wash my face
Morning pages – 3 pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts
Make breakfast (psst – this is the first time I allow myself to pick up my phone!)
Apply sunscreen and fix my hair
Move my body – gym or walk, depending on the day of the week
If you like, have the same set up for night-time. To make it even easier, plan out your little decisions like breakfast and what to wear the night before so it’s ready to go.
Take it back to the basics
When you feel overwhelmed, it’s easy to ditch all of your healthy habits. You’re more likely to order UberEats for dinner, skip the gym and stay inside binge-watching Netflix because it feels easier.
But rather than throwing all of your supportive habits out the window, let’s take it back to the absolute basics.
Pull it back to the smallest action you can do to tick off that healthy habit.
Plan dinner options that take 15 minutes or less to throw together. Go for a walk around the block, or do a 20-minute yoga flow from home. Drink a big glass of water when you first get up.
By sticking to the bare minimum, it feels more achievable – but these habits will also keep you from feeling more stressed.
Find a planning method that works for you
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of scheduling and planning. But the most important thing when it comes to planning is to find a method that works for you and how your brain works!
Rebel against hard deadlines, fully scheduled days or rigid meal plans? Set 2-3 daily tasks to focus on or have 2-3 meal options to choose from.
Prefer to know what you’re doing/eating/drinking every minute of the day? Calendar block to your heart’s content (but don’t forget blocks for your breaks and downtime!)
Embrace ‘no’
How many tasks on your to-do list are obligations or things that other people have asked you to do? If it’s more than you care to admit, now is the time to get in the habit of saying ‘no’.
This might feel really uncomfortable at first, particularly for my people pleasers out there. But saying no to anything that isn’t 100% necessary gives you space to work on whatever is overwhelming you. Ideally, you’ll stick to this and prevent future cases of overwhelm as well!
Dive deeper into why
Overwhelm doesn’t come out of nowhere. One of the common causes is procrastination. You put off one or two tasks, but this has a domino effect and you end up running behind on everything.
To break the cycle, ask yourself why you’re procrastinating.
What are you scared of?
Are you afraid of failure (or success)?
Is it a fear of putting yourself out there with a new project you’re starting?
Are you scared that others will judge you?
Do you feel like it’s going to be too hard, uncomfortable, unpleasant?
By addressing any underlying causes of procrastination, you can not only work on your current overwhelm, but reduce your risk of future episodes.
Get some support
No one can do everything by themselves all the time – and you are no exception to this rule. Humans are designed to thrive when we are in a community, but overwhelm can leave you feeling isolated.
Now is the perfect time to get some support. The right support depends on your source of overwhelm, but it might include:
Someone you can outsource tasks to e.g. a cleaner
Someone to help with your physical/mental wellbeing (GP, therapist, nutritionist)
A friend who can listen when you feel stressed out
Someone to keep you accountable and focused e.g. a coach
Want to build a healthier mindset and achieve your goals?
If you’re sick of feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated and unsure where to start, now is the time to take action.
Together, we can overhaul not only your nutrition and exercise, but also boost your motivation and master your mindset – learn more about my 1:1 coaching here.
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
Check out my free guide to healthy eating to design your own version of a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel energised and vibrant, or hire me to work my magic on your health through mindset, nutrition, and movement.
While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of medical advice.