Anxiety, sadness, fear and other issues often present themselves when you are feeling overwhelmed. That feeling can come from a variety of factors that inflict stress whether it be emotional (such as a relationship breakdown), financial (cost of living crisis) or work (long working hours). Each stressor may have it's own solutions but what can you do to help you decompress now?
Below are five ways that can help when you're feeling overwhelmed:
Read - It may seem counterintuitive to put your mind through something more challenging than just emptying it out, but when you read, you are transported into another world but surrounded by actual silence. There is a sense of peace around you and time doesn't matter as much. You can read for however long or short you want to. Look for an easy read in a genre you enjoy and you'll find yourself forgetting about a huge number of things that were playing on your mind. Thus, you will start to feel calmer and coming out from that, you should be able to get back on track. If reading isn't your thing, you can try watching a film or playing video games. It's a similar concept but they don't elicit such a calming response.
Go Outside - Step out of the situation that is overwhelming you and get some fresh air. We need oxygen (obviously), but we sometimes forget to get outside and be with nature for a little bit. If you have a garden, you can escape there for a little bit, or go to a local park, or visit some heritage sites/woodlands. Firstly, you should feel a bit better physically and your mind should start to demist as you breathe in the outdoor air and stretch your legs. Staying in the same place when you're trying to solve a problem can you leave you feeling stuck, frustrated and thus overwhelmed. Stepping away from it should ease the tension you're experiencing and also allow you to think more clearly.
Speak to a Friend - As the saying goes, 'a problem shared is a problem halved'. Try to call or meet up with a friend just to talk about things. It doesn't have to be a conversation about everything that's bugging you but knowing you can speak to someone and not feel trapped in your own mind should ease the anxiety at least a little bit. If you do speak about your stressors, it's worth keeping an open mind to what they say, or you might hear that they are facing similar struggles leaving you feeling less isolated.
Write Things Down - Late at night, I will find that I have so many ideas and thoughts to process that it becomes overwhelming. My solution is to grab a notebook where I can write down everything that's on my mind and put it into sections. The moment I see it in writing, it becomes more manageable. I can break things down into bitesize chunks that I can tackle the next day. The good thing about it being in a plain notebook is that you don't have to plan things, you just write down whatever it is that is stressing you out and see the steps you can put in place to tackle it.
Tick Something Off - For me, the most motivation tool and something that helps me decompress is working through my to-do list. By ticking something off my list, I know I am moving forward and I can reassure myself that I have a handle on things. Not that it is controlling me. It can be something small like cooking dinner, cleaning, tidying, or it can be something bigger like writing a chapter of a book you've been wanting to write. Again, anything on your to-do list should be in small sections. If you want to write a book, don't put "write a book", write down : "plan concept, plan chapters, write chapter 1, 2...etc..., proof read, edit", you get the idea. Being able to accomplish something every day will help in managing the stressors and your response to it. It doesn't have to be something overwhelming if you deal with it one bit at a time.
Have you felt overwhelmed lately?
Yes
No
50/50