Are you struggling with the sensation that you are completely overwhelmed? You’re far from alone here. Research suggests that the vast majority of people feel completely out of the loop and under intense stress at least once every year. Why is this?
Well first, it’s important to understand that modern life is stressful in general. It might seem as though time is moving faster and you’re not far from the truth if that’s the case. While time isn’t literally speeding forward at a faster rate than usual, technology has removed a lot of the downtime that we used to have in our lives. We don’t need to wait for things to download or for information to be received. It’s all instant and that has a toll.
It’s not just adults either. Studies show kids are more stressed than they used to be too. Potentially because they are under pressure from an early age to excel in school and begin their career path.
There’s also reports that COVID-19 is continuing to have an impact. While the disease now seems to be in the rear view mirror, the aftershocks of the two year disruption it caused are still being felt to this day. So, what should you do if you are feeling overwhelmed? Here are some suggestions worth exploring.
Explore ‘Me’ Time
First, you should think about getting some much needed ‘me’ time. It’s possible that the majority of your life and day to day schedule is based around the needs of other people. This is often true for parents who have to constantly focus on the requirements of their children. This isn’t healthy and you do need to spend at least a little time focusing on yourself.
It’s worth noting that this doesn’t need to be a massive amount of time. Anything between ten minutes up to an hour will do a world of good and ensure that you are less likely to feel overwhelmed.
Of course, it can also be useful to take longer breaks such as short holidays and trips away from the urban landscape.
Identify The Causes Of Your Stress Or Anxiety
Next, you should think about the causes of your stress and anxiety. This is going to be different for everyone but there are plenty of examples worth exploring. For instance, it’s possible that your issues are rooted in the tech that is part of every aspect of your life. Studies highlight the impact that tech has on our mind. It can do everything from causing disruption to sleeping patterns to leaving us with traits of an addiction. That’s why it might be worth limiting how much you are using screens, at least during your personal time. You should make sure a little time each day is tech free. This is also a great way to ensure that you are spending the right amount of quality time with your family.
Look At Coping Strategies
If you are struggling with feeling overwhelmed, then you should definitely look at the right coping mechanisms that you can put in place. This could be as simple as breathing exercises. The right breathing exercises will control the level of oxygen to your brain. This can help you regulate your system and ensure that you have more clarity when tackling different problems.
Alternatively, you could think about exploring therapeutic treatments for your stress and anxiety. The benefit of seeking professional help is that it will provide you with coping mechanisms that are already proven to be effective. Options such as DBT will allow you to explore ACCEPTS DBT, a mechanism that can help you distract yourself from things that are stopping you from tackling the issues causing you stress.
Make The Right Lifestyle Choices
There are certain things in life that can exacerbate the thoughts and feelings you are already experiencing. Take smoking or drinking alcohol for instance, these are very similar to drugs and can have you hooked in no time at all. They can cause you to feel disconnected from everyday life, which is an issue if you are needing to get by with work and home life.
If you find yourself hooked on certain recreational activities then there is help out there to help you break the habit. If you are using nicotine products to get by then there are things such as gum or patches to help you quit.
It is essential you are also eating and drinking the right things as well. Certain foods can act in a similar way to drugs, they can give you an incredible high but a huge low as well. Be aware of what you are consuming and avoid anything that causes you to feel worse than you already do.
Focus On Things You Can Control
Being overwhelmed can quite often come from feelings of not being in control of things. If you can focus all your attention and time on being in control of your feelings and the things going on around you then you may feel better. There can be certain triggers which we touched on further up, knowing these will help you figure out what is causing you to feel this way. If you are in a situation where you feel you are not in control then it is important you remain calm. Getting worked up will only make the feelings worse and you don’t want this when you are out in public.
It may help you to speak to a professional about your emotional health if you can’t get it under control on your own. They are there to help you and ensure you get to the bottom of what is causing you to feel the way you do.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take if you are feeling overwhelmed. Remember, you’re not alone here and you don’t have to suffer in silence. Instead, you can lean on people around you or even reach out for help from professionals. Your mind is like the muscles in your body. It needs to be looked after otherwise it’s going to cause you pain and impact your overall quality of life.
