When you feel overwhelmed, it's hard to know which direction to turn. You feel like your mind is spinning, you can't think straight, and everybody around you is driving you crazy. If you're a list-maker, you'll write down everything you have to do and try to tackle as much as you can. If you aren't a list maker, you might feel even more lost. Sometimes it isn't even that you have a million of tasks to do that makes you feel overwhelmed. Maybe you're overwhelmed by feelings, by the craziness of the world, by not knowing your purpose, or by family or financial matters. Sometimes you may not even be able to pinpoint why you feel overwhelmed.... you just do. This overwhelming feeling is stressful and may also lead to feeling anxious or full of doom-and-gloom. It can feel like relief is never coming.
So, when you're feeling completely overwhelmed and overrun by feelings, how do you feel better? Not being able to be in control of everything is scary, so focus on the things you can be in control of. Here are a few ways to do this.
Reconnect with what is important to you
Think about what you place the most value in. What is important to you? When you are 90 years old and you are looking back on your life, what do you want to have spent your life doing? Some examples may be: family and friends, spirituality, helping people, feeling at peace, being happy, solving a specific problem. It doesn't matter what your answer is, as long as you are truthfully listing what is most important to you.
Now that you have a small list of what you want your life to center around, think about whether your overwhelming feeling is about any of those things. If not, try to realize that in the grand scheme of things it isn't even important. When you are 90 and you are looking back at your life, will this moment of time even be something you remember? Most likely, it's not. If it doesn't involve your list of important parts of your life, it shouldn't be making you feel so overwhelmed. There's no point in being this upset or stressed about something that isn't even important to you. By realizing this, you may begin to feel calmer. If you are overwhelmed about something that is on your list of important aspects of your life, then focus on that specific part and let go of all the other things that are adding to that overwhelming feeling but may not be on your important list. Work on that single part, and over time you will begin to feel much better.
Spend less time on social media
Social media has been shown to increase feelings of anxiety and depression (Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: A Cluster Analysis (nih.gov)) as well as loneliness. If you are already feeling overwhelmed, being on social media can further elevate your anxious feelings while also making you feel more isolated and lonelier. This is not helpful. Besides increasing your overwhelming feelings, it also takes time to scroll through Facebook or Instagram or watch Youtube videos. It's easy to get caught in the "I'll just check Facebook for a minute" and then find yourself still scrolling after 30+ minutes. If you are overwhelmed by a large to-do list, you could have spent those 30+ minutes tackling a task off that list. If you're feeling overwhelmed by a bunch of emotions, seeing people post about the best part of their lives online will probably make you feel worse. It can lead to you spiraling further into those heavy feelings. Put your phone away or change your settings on your phone to only allow you to use certain apps for x number of minutes a day. Use your time away from social media to work on those things that are overwhelming you, to do something else that you really enjoy (such as reading or taking a bath), or to do so me yoga and/or meditation.
Move your body
Moving your body can significantly increase your mood. Through exercise, our bodies reduce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Movement also increases the levels of endorphins which are chemicals in our brains that act as natural pain killers and mood elevators (Exercising to Relax - Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Health). Going for a quick 20-minute walk can make a huge difference in the way that we feel. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it is very important to carve out a little bit of time every day to exercise. By doing this, you will be able to improve your mood and clear your mind. This will allow you to think through the brain fog that we often feel when we are overwhelmed. Walking, running, playing catch, swimming, yoga, Zumba, riding a bike, playing frisbee, and hiking are just some examples of ways to move your body. Which form of exercise is your favorite?
Get enough sleep
We all know we need to get enough sleep at night. How many of us are actually getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep daily? I don't need to go into all of the reasons why sleep is important for our physical and mental health. I think it's obvious enough, so I will keep this part short and sweet. Stress can impact our sleep, but sleep can also impact our stress. Here's a link to a short yoga class to prep you for a deeper sleep:
Go outside
Nature is medicine. It's one of the two core parts of Palm Tree Yoga with Sara. Yoga being the other one. You don't need to live in the middle of the wilderness to feel the healing effects of nature. Going outside and feeling the fresh air move across your face and feeling the sun touch your skin can have such an incredible effect on your mood. Even just being outside for 5 minutes can cause a major change in the way we feel. If you really want to be efficient with your time, you can move your body outside to hit 2 of these points at the same time. Going outside will make you feel more grounded. Feeling grounded is very important when you are feeling overwhelmed.
When you are inundated with a long to-do list and a bunch of emotions, increasing your feeling of being grounded can help you to sense that you have a grip on things. Even if it is still a lot, you can take control. Being outside helps increase the feeling of being grounded because you are closer to your connection with the earth. You can better feel the energy in the ground, you can see the plants growing, hear the birds chirp, feel the breeze, see the clouds move. You become better connected to the planet and to yourself. You will feel a sense of calmness and clarity rush over you. You can figure things out.
I hope these ideas help you to feel less overwhelmed. If you have any other tips for easing the heavy feeling, please leave a comment here for other people to see!
Be kind and spread compassion.
Sara
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