You may often feel like these feelings should be easy to overcome, but feeling confounded is a natural response to having too many things going on at once. It’s your mind’s way of telling you that you need to slow down, if you want to live a healthier and more productive life.

So, when faced with such a situation, what is the first thing you should do ? Think and analyze what are the reasons which are causing you to freak out. Once you are clear about the reasons you will feel the tensions start to come down and you will realize, that the reality is, the situation is not really so bad. It can be handled with some thought and clearly defined steps and actions. Writing down the reasons and related activities you intend to do, will make things even more transparent and easier for you to get a clear perspective on the issues and how to handle them.

Whenever one feels overwhelmed and has too much to deal with, we tend to feel sentiments and emotions which may be too strong to deal with. The stress and feelings we are experiencing may be due to a specific situation or just general circumstances. A situational overwhelm is connected to a set of contingent circumstances related to work, like a big project or deadline at work, or a family situation like a family issue/crisis. On the other hand, a feeling of general overwhelm maybe connected to having to much to do and being constantly on the go. In all cases, facing these ordeals can be challenging, but it is important not to allow these to thrust you into a downward spiral.

Some of the actions we can take, to keep ourselves on track are as follows :

1. SLOW DOWN : When you start to feel overwhelmed with everything and unable to cope up, it is time to realize that you need to slow everything down. Our body sends off alarm signals when things get too much for us to handle. These alarm signals should not be ignored, instead we should be aware of them and realize the importance of taking actions to overcome them. It is necessary to slow down, sit back and assess what is happening. Based on your analysis learn to identify actions, slow down and control your responses.

One very important tool we all have for relaxing and slowing down is our breath. Learn to harness the power of your breath and use it for maximum benefit. Just by doing some slow, deep breathing we can regain control of our inner self. In the stressful times we are going through today, Mindfulness exercises are great for physical and mental health. Just practicing some exercises for 10 minutes a day will do wonders, as by forcing yourself to be in the present and focus on what you are feeling and thinking in that moment, you manage to reclaim control over yourself.

• RETHINK AND REFOCUS : After slowing down it is important to reflect on the causes which led to the feelings of overwhelm and loosing control. Did you try to do too much all at once ? Were you ready and prepared to deal with all you put on your plate ? Most important, did you ignore the signals given by your body which could have stopped you from reaching the point of breakdown ?

By reflecting on the information you have in front of you, it will be possible to understand possible causes and prepare yourself and work on solutions to ensure that you prevent such an occurrence in future. So, step back and reflect upon the possible reasons and identify how they can be handled in a better manner to avoid an overpowering situation arising again.

• ADDRESS AND REDIRECT : Releasing the causes of your being overwhelmed and letting them go is key to achieving success. You should focus on slowing down, reframing, and stepping back to help release the causes of your being distressed. Releasing the sources of overwhelm is critical to getting your life back together again and moving forward confidently.  

The feeling of being distressed contributes to forcing you to stop and halting your progress. But once you clear your thoughts, work out solutions to how you will move forward, you can slowly get back to work and on track. But remember do not rush things, move forward one step at a time, in a prepared and empowered manner to ensure success in managing your life.

• LESSONS LEARNED : What is most important is that you identify the lessons learned to ensure that you do not fall into the spiral of being overwhelmed again. We all have our own experiences in life. For some being overwhelmed has become a part of our lives and we may not know how to deal with it. What steps to take ? How to manage the pressures and expectations ? But remember that you are not always alone and will not fail if you learn to manage yourself or harness the support of other close family members or friends.

The first thing you need to do is to understand that you are in control of what needs to be done. Keep control of your life, make adjustments in terms of what you allow in and what you refuse to do. Harness other available resources and learn to delegate or assign the job to others, thereby reducing the pressure on yourself. What is important is that you have processed your thoughts and learned to be better prepared for any future episodes plus more equipped and ready to avoid it happening again. 

FINALLY, we have all been overwhelmed at some point of time or other. In fact, some of us are more prone to stress and overwhelm that others. It is important to learn how to gain control over the feelings they generate so that they do not create an impact on our physical and mental health and make us strong enough to manage it.

Remember to “Dream small dreams. If you make them too big, you get overwhelmed and you don’t do anything. If you make small goals and accomplish them, it gives you the confidence to go on to higher goals.” John H. Johnson