Feeling overwhelmed doesn’t have to be an ongoing struggle. By embracing these strategies, you can bring a sense of calm and control back into your life. So take a deep breath, remember to take it one step at a time, and know that you’re on the path to a calmer, more balanced life.
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[00:00:08] I hope you all are doing well. Welcome to the Happiness Painting Podcast.
[00:00:13] I am your host, Sonal Chauhan and today we are diving into something we all know very well.
[00:00:20] That is a feeling of overwhelm.
[00:00:22] Whether it is a work, personal life or just, you know, the endless demands of daily routines,
[00:00:30] overwhelm can really creep in and feel like heavy weight on our shoulders.
[00:00:35] But here is a good news. We can manage it in the next 10 minutes.
[00:00:40] I am going to guide you through some powerful techniques which will really help you
[00:00:45] to reduce the feeling of overwhelm and bring a little more calmness into your life.
[00:00:53] So just find some comfortable spot and take a deep breath and let's begin.
[00:01:00] So let's start with, if you are feeling overwhelmed, you can just start with recognizing and the
[00:01:09] sign of the, you know, overwhelm and also the accept the feeling of overwhelm.
[00:01:15] The first thing we need to do is to manage overwhelm.
[00:01:19] How we can do that?
[00:01:21] Recognizing the symptoms and accepting that this is what it is happening to you is the first sign of feeling.
[00:01:28] I know it sounds so basic like why it is required.
[00:01:34] Overwhelm often feels like an endless loop of,
[00:01:38] I have too much to do or I can't handle this.
[00:01:42] I have too much on my plate running through all our minds most of the time.
[00:01:49] But resisting or ignoring these feelings usually makes them grow bigger time by time.
[00:01:56] Here a tip, give yourself permission to feel it.
[00:02:00] Tell yourself it is okay to feel overwhelmed.
[00:02:04] This may seem like a, you know, small act,
[00:02:07] but it can really help you to shift from panic to the place of control.
[00:02:12] When you acknowledge overwhelm without a judgment,
[00:02:16] you are taking the first step towards managing it.
[00:02:20] Now try this next time whenever you are feeling,
[00:02:23] you know, the overwhelm or you are going through the cycle of the stress,
[00:02:28] especially due to overwhelm.
[00:02:30] Simply just pause, close your eyes and silently say,
[00:02:36] I am feeling overwhelmed and that is okay.
[00:02:39] That is pretty normal.
[00:02:41] And this is a powerful way to accept your current state without letting it define you.
[00:02:48] Now, what is the next thing?
[00:02:52] Identify the source of overwhelm.
[00:02:55] Now that we have acknowledged the feeling,
[00:02:58] let's further try to understand it more.
[00:03:02] Ask yourself,
[00:03:03] what actually making me feel this way?
[00:03:07] Overwhelm is often the result of juggling too many priorities at the same time
[00:03:12] or too many feelings
[00:03:14] and you are unsure about where to start.
[00:03:18] But sometimes it's not just even the task,
[00:03:21] it is just about the thoughts which causes the overwhelm.
[00:03:25] So here is the next strategy.
[00:03:28] Take a few minutes to jot down everything in your mind.
[00:03:33] You can take a notepad and just write it down what is happening.
[00:03:38] That is call it as a mind dump.
[00:03:41] Write down tasks, personal commitments,
[00:03:44] anything which is really hanging over you.
[00:03:48] Getting it all out of your head and putting that everything on the paper
[00:03:55] allow you to see it more clearly
[00:03:58] and to understand what exactly you are thinking about.
[00:04:02] Often once we do this,
[00:04:04] we realize there are only a few important things.
[00:04:07] Rest are just thoughts or maybe non-priority activities.
[00:04:13] Once you have your list,
[00:04:17] look at each item and ask,
[00:04:19] does this really need my focus today
[00:04:23] or can it wait for tomorrow or next week?
[00:04:27] This is about identifying your top priorities
[00:04:31] and being realistic about what you can tackle at this moment.
[00:04:37] And also it's give you the clear strategy
[00:04:40] like it is workable, right?
[00:04:43] So setting the priorities for that particular day is really important.
[00:04:49] And same time,
[00:04:50] handling other items and other priorities also.
[00:04:54] Now what is the next step?
[00:04:56] Break it down into the smaller steps.
[00:05:00] Now let's talk about the breaking down,
[00:05:03] which is the priority items.
[00:05:06] When we look at the big project or the long to-do list,
[00:05:10] our brain naturally feel overwhelmed.
[00:05:14] So after you have identified what really needs to get it done now or today,
[00:05:20] break each task down into the smallest possible steps.
[00:05:25] For instance, let's say one of your tasks is to finish the project proposal.
[00:05:30] That sounds huge, right?
[00:05:33] No wonder it's overwhelming.
[00:05:35] Instead, break it down into the micro steps.
[00:05:38] Start with, you know, something working on the document,
[00:05:42] going through the document and understanding the scope
[00:05:45] and reaching out to the respective stack holders so that you don't keep,
[00:05:50] you know, that overwhelm feeling along with you.
[00:05:55] You are just, you know, giving the respective items to other stack holders also.
[00:06:01] So it is like the shared responsibility.
[00:06:04] Now each tiny step moves you forward,
[00:06:07] but without that heavy weight of having to finish the entire thing at one go.
[00:06:13] Try to keep these steps as small as possible.
[00:06:17] You would be surprised how this approach can make tasks feel
[00:06:22] more manageable and more doable.
[00:06:24] So next strategy is all about shifting your physical and the mental state
[00:06:32] when overwhelm feels like it is really taking your energy.
[00:06:38] One of the simplest ways to calm the mind and body
[00:06:41] is by focusing on your breath rather than focusing on your thoughts.
[00:06:48] Here is a quick breathing exercise.
[00:06:50] You can try it next time.
[00:06:52] That is called the box breathing.
[00:06:54] Picture drawing a box as you breathe and follow along with me.
[00:07:00] The step number one is breathe in through your nose for the count of four.
[00:07:07] Now hold the breath for four seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth for the count of four.
[00:07:16] Then hold again for the four seconds.
[00:07:19] Four count or four seconds.
[00:07:21] Same we can do it in Anudlom, Bilom also.
[00:07:25] But here it is called the box breathing because at the same time we are trying to figure it out in our thought patterns also.
[00:07:33] So we are trying to draw the picture of the box mentally.
[00:07:37] Now repeat this cycle three to four times.
[00:07:40] That will really refocus your energy and thoughts also in your breath.
[00:07:47] And most of the time you will be spending your thoughts on especially on the breath work or you know drawing the picture mentally, mental picture.
[00:07:58] This is a great exercise especially to shift your focus in your physical and mental state and getting rid of the feeling of overwhelm.
[00:08:08] Try this exercise next time and please share the result with me in the comment section.
[00:08:15] Now what is the next you know activity or the next strategy?
[00:08:20] Next strategy is very simple when you are already going through a lot of overwhelm.
[00:08:26] Just relax, take a pause and try to focus on the one thing at a time rather than you know juggling with too many thoughts or too many tasks.
[00:08:38] Let me tell you it is not just in the overwhelm time.
[00:08:43] Normally in multitasking it is really difficult especially to focus on one of the activity at a time.
[00:08:52] Research shows that the multitasking actually makes us less productive and more overwhelmed.
[00:09:00] Instead try focusing on just one thing at a time and give that task your full attention and complete it.
[00:09:07] And then move to the next.
[00:09:10] It will you it might feel slower at the first but let me tell you you will be able to put more focus on the same activity.
[00:09:18] And also you will be able to manage your energy and overwhelm also.
[00:09:24] So if you are in the middle of the task and you catch yourself drifting to something else.
[00:09:30] Just gently bring your focus back.
[00:09:33] And also bring out you know practice especially in the focused hour especially you know.
[00:09:39] Where you feel it is a less disturbing environment.
[00:09:43] The next strategy is schedule time for the rest and recharge.
[00:09:50] Most of the time we are not able to handle the overwhelm due to lack of rest, self-care and lack of breaks also.
[00:10:00] When we talk about overwhelm it is often you know always getting the feeling of busy in the sense you know.
[00:10:09] We feel so much of pride saying that I am too busy and I am you know really busy with that.
[00:10:15] But always remember it especially you know continuous activity can exhaust your mind and bodies.
[00:10:23] Even the once your mind and body is exhausted a simple activity which may be you will be taking less time five minutes.
[00:10:33] With the overwhelm feelings and exhausted mind and body it will take ten times more right.
[00:10:42] So schedule time to recharge.
[00:10:43] It does not have to be long vacation.
[00:10:46] Sometime just stepping outside for the five minutes or stretching or spending time with yourself especially the me time.
[00:10:54] Or especially you know undisturbing time with yourself really helps.
[00:10:59] It is like you know taking a break and then just refreshing yourself.
[00:11:05] The key is to recognize that resting isn't luxury it's a necessity for our well-being.
[00:11:13] When you give yourself permission to rest you will find you know more energy more focus and the more resilience for whatever life throws on your way.
[00:11:25] Now I hope you understand why it is important to relax rest and recharge rather than being overwhelmed and then taking the break.
[00:11:36] Right.
[00:11:38] So there you have it a few simple strategy to help you to manage overwhelm.
[00:11:43] Now let's recap quickly.
[00:11:45] The first one is recognize and accept your feelings without judgment.
[00:11:51] Number two is identify the sources of your overwhelm by writing them down one by one.
[00:11:58] Number three is break tasks into the smallest steps to make them more manageable and more doable.
[00:12:07] The step number four is practice deep breathing or the grounding exercise when you need to reset your body and mind.
[00:12:15] Number five is focus on one thing at a time instead of multitasking to avoid overwhelm.
[00:12:23] Most importantly is schedule time for the rest and recharge on the regular basis.
[00:12:30] Remember everyone feels overwhelmed at time to time but with the small adjustment, with the small habits,
[00:12:38] you can really take control of these feelings and find more calm and clarity in your mind, body and life.
[00:12:47] Thank you so much for tuning in today.
[00:12:50] If you found this episode helpful, please share that with your family, friends, whoever is really going through the overwhelmed feeling
[00:12:57] or simply you think they are not focusing on self-care activities.
[00:13:03] Don't forget to subscribe, especially for my podcast in the different audio channels, Spotify, Apple and many others, Audible etc.
[00:13:13] And keep tuning that for my podcast and share that with your friends.
[00:13:19] So bye-bye, take care.
[00:13:20] I'll meet you in my next podcast.
[00:13:24] Bye-bye.