One of the important questions that is often asked by my clients is how to deal with overwhelm. I have seen a large number of people struggle with depression because there always seems to be more to deal with than a person thinks they can handle. Have you a friend, colleague or associate who struggles with overwhelm?
Overwhelm
When we as human beings experience overwhelm it normally means we have too much input for our system to handle. We feel stress simply existing and cannot seem to make any forward progress at all. Thinking about our situation is therefore stressful and we end up trying to deal with our struggles and road blocks as little as possible.
Does this sound familiar?
Our body and brain are good at shutting down when we get too much input. When we have a physical injury that gives our nervous system too much input, our body responds by putting us into a state we refer to as “shock”. It’s the way our nervous system protects us.
It turns out that we have other systems in our body that react in similar ways. We get too many nasty phone calls, so we stop answering the phone. Too many bills with no way to pay them, so we stop opening them. We might even stop getting our mail if we dread it too much. Our spouse or boss berates us too much and we go into self preservation mode and avoid running into their negative and hurtful comments and actions as much as possible. Often staying at the office way more than necessary, or playing more golf. We might even seek legal protection in extreme cases.
Hopefully you are not dealing with this level of stress right now, but maybe you know someone who is. What tools can be used to help this kind of problem?
Clear and declutter your desk
On the Free Activity Sheet I provide here: Click Here to Download list everything that is on your mind. Things you should have put on your calendar, maybe months ago, but haven’t yet. List things that need your attention but you haven’t finished yet. Everything, including bills that need your attention, dates in court or at the hair stylist…everything that is taking up space in your brain. Write it down. Next, prioritize each item on the list that needs your attention. An appointment with the hair stylist TODAY should have a higher priority than taking your car in for repairs next week.
Now that everything that was taking up brain space in your head is listed on paper and put properly in your calendar where it belongs, you don’t have to keep feeling that nagging sensation that you might be forgetting something. Of course, if something new comes to mind, write it down also.
You are on the right track to feeling peace of mind, because you’re no longer burning extra energy just keeping track of the overwhelming number of things going on in your life!
Killing the list
Naturally, there is more to solving overwhelm than just knowing about the things that have made you feel overwhelmed all these years. The next step is to deal with the items on the list.
The top priority items are always the ones that must be done now. If your child comes in bleeding from an injury, that of course takes priority over your list…as it should.
An appointment as mentioned earlier has a fixed time. Either we keep the appointment, or adjust the appointment because it really shouldn’t be the top priority TODAY. Maybe that visit to get our dog groomed can wait till another less stressful day.
Every item on the list is there for a reason. Decide if there are things that should be removed from the list. If we have trouble saying “no” when someone asks us to solve their problems, there is a very good chance we have things on our list that can be removed. If you are a people pleaser, you no doubt have many items on your list that probably don’t belong there.
Cancel commitments that are bad
Some things are great to do. Somebody needs to do them. It doesn’t have to be you. When we’re dealing with feelings of overwhelm, SOMETHING needs to go. For you to get back on the road of healthy living, your priorities must be aligned with your purpose. More about that on one of the other systems I’ve developed to help people just like you get back to living Bigger and Better!
Learn what it takes to go from goals to intentions and the power of Big Steps and the value of your imagination in your life.
Goals are things you intend to accomplish or want to have in the future. An intention is a goal with all doubt removed from your mind about its completion or accomplishment. You will get it, accomplish it with no doubt in your mind. It always was or has become one of your core desires.
Important or Urgent?
Sometimes we get stuck dealing with the urgent things in our life and never take time to do the important things. If you don’t make time for the things that are important in your life, they will never get done. Life always offers enough urgent things to keep us distracted from the things that really matter.
Invest in a system that helps you deal with urgent and important things in your life. Having a MindShift Team™ who shares your Vission and has your back can really help get past the urgency overwhelm you are experiencing today.
Start Today!
It is not too late to Invest In You! Your relationships and commitments will benefit from a healthier you!
Do you see how important this is?
You are worth it!
- You are good enough.
- You are strong enough.
- You are beautiful enough.
- You are smart enough.
- You ARE enough to do what you were created to do.
- I believe in you.
I strongly believe that you and I were created for a special purpose and we are here for a very special reason.
Thank you for being there my friend.
Byron – The Bigger and Better Guy™
P.S. Do you have a system that helps you work through issues in your life?
Stay tuned for more systems that you can use to get to Bigger and Better!
Meanwhile, take a minute and do the following steps:
- Sign up for the Free Action Guide I wrote specially for you.
- Like www.Facebook.com/takethenextbigstep so you’ll get updates on my posts
- Give me some feedback about where you are in your journey: TakeTheNextBigStep@gmail.com Include your biggest question, the one that keeps you up at night, when you write.
- If you’d like to get in touch, contact me at our International Office: 832-592-7853
Every successful person has coaches, mentors and support groups to lead and inspire them to new levels of success. Whatever you do, start making investments in yourself that get you to the Bigger and Better you deserve.
Do you see how much improvement a LifeShift Coach™ can bring to your life?
Bigger and Better. We Can Do It Together™.
