Five things you can do when you are feeling overwhelmed
Being overwhelmed is so unproductive and can take a toll on your emotional well being. By finding a way to pull yourself out of that you have a much better chance of resolving whatever it is that is making you feel that way to begin with. And once that thing isn’t holding you back any more you can start to gain confidence and begin moving forward.
#1 Take a deep breath and repeat let it be
Overcoming being overwhelmed is all about finding a way to push through it without losing your mind. My toddler was recently potty trained so it was very very new to him. When it came time to leave the house for school he refused to sit on the potty (like tantrum refused). I was freaking out, what if he had an accident on the way? Should I keep pushing him? I took three deep breaths, put my hand on my chest, and said out loud let it be. Okay so if he had an accident I was prepared, I had a change of clothes already packed. I can easily wash the car seat. Just let it be. We walked out the door, got to school only five minutes late and no accidents on the way.
#2 Change your thinking to a positive thought
When you get overwhelmed you get frustrated. All of a sudden everything is a huge deal. On my way to a prenatal appointment I hit every red light possible. I was going to be late. If I was late I wasn’t going to be seen on time. If I wasn’t seen on time, I wouldn’t get back home before my toddler woke up from his nap. I was starting to spiral. I stopped and tried to focus on the positive. I am on my way to a prenatal appointment so I can give my baby the best care he could get. The red lights, the traffic, all of sudden didn’t seem to matter. I felt my whole body soften, I felt so much better. Just by choosing a positive thought I was able to change my entire state of mind.
#3 Talk it out
When you are overwhelmed it’s so easy to get in your own head. It makes it impossible to think straight. After introducing formula to my 6 month old he started to spit it up immediately. And I mean all of it. It came out his poor little nose, soaked his clothes, splashed on the ground. I was at a loss. I turned to a dear friend who had three kids of her own. She let me go on and on without a filter. Then it hit me! When I drink milk multiple days in a row the build up over time makes it hard for me to digest. Could that be his issue? I ordered some low lactose formula and gave it a try. By talking it out I was able to connect the dots and find a solution so I could move forward. If you are feeling overwhelmed about a big life transition my roadmap or game plan could help you talk it out so things can start to feel more manageable.
#4 It’s okay to say you can’t talk right now
There is such a thing as too many things going on at once. It’s a super easy way to get overwhelmed really quickly. One night I was trying to put together a grocery list as my toddler was running around “testing his voice out” and my 6 month old got stuck after rolling onto his belly. My husband started asking me totally normal questions about dinner. I could feel myself escalating and I was about to take it out on him. Instead, I looked up from my grocery list and the screaming kids and said “Babe I need a minute, I need to finish this, and then we can talk.” He responded, “Cool.” He appreciated my honesty and that I let him know that I heard him rather than exploding out of nowhere. Immediate relief washed over me, I finished up my list and walked over to the kitchen to talk about dinner.
#5 Come back to it later
When you are overwhelmed it can be hard to think or even form a thought. Trying to get a toddler and a baby ready to get out the door by 8am is a lot. The mornings are super stressful. One morning I literally yelled at my 2.5 year old the entire ride to school. That was not okay. Something needed to change but my mind kept spinning. All I could think of was how I had projected my stress onto my son who probably went to school feeling confused and sad. The next morning I woke up ready for another battle when I realized I could switch around the order of our mornings. That would give my son the time to do the things he was interested in and I could still get the things done that I needed to. Without giving myself some time and space for my brain to get out of overdrive I never would have thought of such a simple solution.
Being overwhelmed is going to happen but finding ways to manage it can make all the difference. Bookmark this page and come back to it later when you are in the thick of it. Let me know what ends up working for you, I would love to hear about it.