Overcoming the Sense of Overwhelm

Adulting is flippin’ hard!

We all have stress in our lives. And we have these amazing brains that are made to give us bursts of energy and adrenaline when under experiential stress. This is the “fight or flight” response triggered when our sympathetic nervous system detects danger. Our brains’ response to stress evolved as a survival mechanism for humans. (See? Amazing, right?!) The issues many of us are facing today are not the same as when this brain evolution first started; we’re not typically posed with the same level or frequency of danger or attack that our ancestors were. Life has evolved, and so have we.

The types of stress we are experiencing nowadays are quite different. Yet, unfortunately, many people around the globe report feeling they are in a state of chronic stress. (As in, all day long, every day. Yikes!) What if I told you that we could control our level of stress and of feeling overwhelmed by changing the way we perceive and think about things? Stay with me…

the power of mindset

Lately, I have heard so many folks say they feel completely overwhelmed. My heart hurts for us all. And I get it—life is tough! My goal is to help us all recognize how we are self-inflicting those feelings of being overwhelmed. In the first chapter of Brené Brown’s new book “Atlas of the Heart” she defines overwhelm as “an extreme level of stress, an emotional and/or cognitive intensity to the point of feeling unable to function.” This is what I have been sensing and hearing from so many people for far too long. If our brains are feeling constant stress, they become flooded with hormones, and this is when too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. These stress hormones cause important functions in our brains and bodies to shut down. This is a simplified explanation of how our physical health is connected to our mental health.

The Merriam-Webster definition of overwhelm is “completely overcome or overpowered by thought or feeling.”

Our amazing brains are extremely malleable—capable of being proactively shaped and formed how we want them to be. We have control over our thoughts and feelings. There are several ways we can evaluate and shift our perspectives, which can lessen our sensations of pressure, stress and feeling overwhelmed. 

Psychotherapist Haim G. Ginott put it beautifully in his 1972 book “Teacher and Child.” He wrote, “I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.”

YOU (and me) all possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. One of my favorite questions to keep myself grounded and present when feeling stressed or emotionally triggered is, Am I being the thermostat or the thermometer? We should all aim to be our own thermostat. No matter what is happening around us, we set our own temp. And we stay at a cool 70 degrees.

When you feel overwhelmed, evaluate and ask yourself: Am I getting enough sleep? Am I carving out time to exercise? Am I drinking enough water? Am I nourishing my body with whole, healthy foods? Am I feeding my mind with positive thoughts? Am I establishing healthy boundaries? Am I using proactive language in my thoughts and spoken words?

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Yeah, Beth, if I knew how to fix these things, I would!” I get it. And I am here to support & coach you on this journey! Through coaching, we can dive deeper into this topic and I can offer practical tools and exercises to begin forming new thoughts and work to overcome the constant sense of overwhelm. Schedule a free call to discover the power of coaching.