Frequently, you hear people say they feel “overwhelmed”. What does it mean to feel overwhelmed, and what are some ways to deal with it and get out from under this feeling?
When people say they feel overwhelmed, it seems to mean that they have too many demands on their time and everything seems equally important. Sometimes, it means that every direction they look, they see “issues” or “crises” that need to be handled and nowhere nearly enough time to deal with them all. Often the feeling of overwhelm also comes from living amidst disorder and clutter–on top of too many things to do.
The common factors in feeling overwhelmed seem to be too much to do, not enough time to do it all, and no way to prioritize them. Here are some ideas on how to take control in situations of overwhelm.
1.) Take out paper and pen and make a complete list of all the activities that need to be taken care of. Yes, this can temporarily make you feel even more overwhelmed, but it’s a must to get going.
2.) Put “#1″ beside any activity that has a deadline or a consequence. Jot the deadline to the side of the activity. These dates will then be handled in sequence.
3.) If clutter/disorder adds to the problem, make a separate list of those areas of disorder that most impede your progress on the overwhelm list. Most likely, you will need to tackle these areas one small bit at a time so that you can handle the overwhelm list. Clutter is another whole topic and won’t be handled here, but here’s a “shorthand” method to use.
a. Do an hour a day.
b. Tackle the most important areas first.
c. Create a “home” for everything and make a point of putting things where they belong.
d. Once you’ve gotten a small area clean, keep it clean at all costs.
e. Be brutal at getting rid of junk.
4.) Take a look at your psychological factors and see if there is any way that “overwhelm” has a payoff. Do you use it to avoid something? Is it an excuse not to take any action? Does it mask the fact that you are afraid? If so, what are you afraid of?
5.) Now, take your overwhelm list and put it in order of priority. The top items should be those items that have deadlines and consequences. Put them in order of the deadlines. After that, the criteria for ranking the items can be based on things like, “Most important things to get done.”, or “Would increase my income the soonest.”, “Would give me the greatest feeling of freedom if I handled it.”, or “Bugs me the most.”, or “Gets in my way the most.”
6.) If clutter areas have to be handled before you can take care of an issue, put cleaning up that area in the list in the sequence where it is needed.
7.) Start to take immediate action on your list, starting at the top. Don’t worry or think about other items on the list until it is time to deal with them. Of course, use good sense here; don’t use the list as an excuse to procrastinate on critical items. Taking care of any items on the list starts to give an immediate feeling of relief.
8.) Devote as much free time to this as you have available. Temporarily give up TV/video games/reading, etc. (anything you “kill time with”). Just decide that for as long as it takes, you’re going to take charge and move yourself out of overwhelm.
9.) Do whatever you need to do to refrain from volunteering or otherwise committing time to outside causes while you are dealing with these issues.
We all feel overwhelmed at times in life. It’s not a pleasant feeling. The best way to deal with it is to tackle it in an organized, logical manner. You can get some relief fairly quickly with this approach, and get on top of overwhelming circumstances in your life.
About the author of this article:
suzi elton is a success coach working with highly creative types to create income that matches their talent. she has coached hundreds of clients to approach their goals strategically through tiny steps to bring about quantum leaps. get free life purpose exercises, at http://mylifepurposecoaching.com
