Feeling overwhelmed is so easily done in this current world we live in. I often find myself feeling that way with what feels like a million thoughts running through my mind and preventing me on focusing on the present.
As with most of my articles, I am not an expert on the topic that I am writing about, but I want to share with you what works for me as it may be something you want to try and see if it works for you too.
My Framework For Dealing With Being Overwhelmed
You are probably thinking two things looking at this.
- I have the handwriting of a child. That is true and I won't argue with that. I could have easily done the above diagram on a computer, but I prefer pen and paper!
- It is overly simplistic. That is the whole point really. I want it to be easy otherwise I won't go through it.
So, to explain, first of all I would ask myself what is it that is on my mind and causing me to feel overwhelmed. Often it will be several things not just one. I list each of these out.
Once I have that list, I then ask myself, for each thing on the list, Can I do anything about that particular thing that is worrying me?
If the answer is no, then I have no choice but to accept it and move on from it. This may seem pointless but once you have given the particular worry some thought and accepted it, I feel like I am less worried about that topic afterwards.
If I can do something about it I then would write down what I could do and ask myself if it is worth the effort of doing it. Usually, it is worth it otherwise I wouldn't be worrying about it. However, if it is too much effort for something that is not very important then I would then accept I am not going to change it and move on.
If it is worth doing something about it and I know what I could do, then I then do the obvious thing of adding it on my To Do List for the day and ensure I get it done as soon as I can.
Just putting in on my list instantly makes me feel better as I feel like I am dealing with the thing I felt was overwhelming. But then crossing it off my list as done makes you even better still!
Other Suggestions That May Work
You may be thinking that your worries are not that simple, and my simplistic framework doesn't work. That is fair enough. Other things I would consider are:
- Write about it. This is kind of connected to my framework as when I am working through my worries, I tend to do it with a pen and paper as it helps me by seeing it on a piece of paper rather that spinning round my head.
- Talk about it. Choose someone that you know will not judge you and will listen to what you're saying. The right person depends on your personality, but you will know who the right person is.
- Think about it. Again, this ties in to my framework as all it is doing is helping you think about it in a logical way. but sometimes it may need deeper thought. So why try sitting somewhere quiet, closing your eyes and giving it some thought with no distractions? Just ensure you set yourself a timer as too much thought and no action is generally not good. As soon as your done thinking about it I would use the framework to do something about it (if necessary).
One or more of these techniques may not be for you but don't knock it till you try it!
If you have a different technique that you use that works for you, I would love to know about it.
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Thanks for reading,
Gav
