What is overwhelm, and four things overwhelm is telling you? Overwhelm is when you feel like things are not as you’d like for them to be and that your life is out of control. It might include a feeling of anxiety around the amount of things that you need to do, and if you’re like me, anxiety about the things that are not done. In my own life, and in the lives of my clients, overwhelm seems to be a symptom that comes up when there are changes, or new things in play in someone’s life. You start a new job, have a baby, take up a new training class, or a new hobby, and what once felt somewhat balanced is now on the precipice being completely out of control. In this episode, I share about recent events in my life that gave me pause to stop and reflect on what overwhelm was telling me. I hope you enjoy learning through my experience what four things overwhelm is telling you, and my four steps for regaining control and balance in your life.
Time stamps, including the four things overwhelm is telling you:
3:00 I explain about my son’s school being closed over the past two weeks (an admittedly minor landslide of events)
5:00 the invitation to look at overwhelm and what it’s telling us
7:00 Step One of what to do when you feel overwhelmed (Slow down)
10:25 Why getting in touch with your body is helpful when you’re feeling overwhelmed
11:45 Step Two of what to do when overwhelm hits (Get clear on what you need)
15:45 Step Three of what to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed (Focus on what you can control)
18:00 Step Four of what to do when overwhelm takes over (Take care of yourself)
23:00 Wrap up and conclusions
Resources
Sign up for “Jump Start Your Podcast” (the 6 week podcasting bootcamp) – click here
Spend 30 minutes with me in a free consultation session – click here
Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has The Time by Brigid Schulte
Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Liz Applegate of Midlife Schmidlife
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How do you respond to feeling overwhelmed?
Comments
17 responses to “Four Things Overwhelm is Telling You with host Paula Jenkins”
Great post on paying attention to your body! My body responds to being overwhelmed by just making me want to sleep. Sort of like, I’m not dealing with today, so there!
I really new to get better about not stressing and feeling overwhelmed all the time. life is too short to be this stress.
I just get slammed with a migraine when I have too much on my agenda and then I don’t have a choice but to slow down.
I used to get overwhelmed a lot, or as my hubby calls it ‘stressing and fretting’. But now I have a meditation practice I handle stress much better!
It is so important to listen to your body. What a great post!
Thanks for the tips. I have felt a lot of anxiety this week and now I can step back and think of step 1 and what to start working on first.
Focusing on right now and taking deep breathes usually do the trick for me. Coming up with the plan and taking some sort of action is the next step.
I get so easily overwhelmed. This was very helpful for me. Self-care is so important. Thank you!
Great post. Reminds me of really listen to what my body is telling me from now on.
I find myself overwhelmed a lot lately. Then the anxiety kicks in and i become a total mess! This really gave me some insight.
I don’t respond well honestly. I usually shut down. Thankfully I have a super awesome husband who is able to help me overcome it!
I am in a season of overwhelm right now, so I really appreciate these tips. I tend to shut down until the point of bursting.
I usually talk with my husband about it when I feel overwhelmed. He usually helps me calm down, because usually I’m overwhelmed about nothing and I’m just making it bigger than what it is!
These are some great tips! I rarely ever get stressed out when I have lot going on. But when I do I’ll just vent to a friend and then I’ll feel better.
Terryn, the other thought that strikes me, when facing Overwhelm, is that it’s OK to ask for help. It’s so hard to allow ourselves to accept help, or ask for it, but sometimes just getting a little extra assistance is what makes all the difference.
Wonderful post and advice you shared! I feel overwhelmed from time to time, and what has worked for me is napping away the stress. I feel after a 20 mins. doze off I feel better and able to deal with the issue better.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed, especially in the summertime when there are things to do every weekend. Great tips and thank you for sharing this advice.