Blog Post
What to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed?
Lynette Beer • Sep 27, 2018
Have you ever felt that everything is just getting too much for you to handle? You feel like you have too many balls in the air and you know they are going to come crashing down on you and you just don’t know how to prevent it.
In a world where everything has to be done today as if there is no tomorrow, you can easily become so tangled up that you just feel like quitting and hiding under the table. But, you know you can’t, so you just struggle along way past your breaking point.
Does this sound familiar? Then I have some good advice for you. Bear in mind that there is not a quick fix for an over-busy life, but there are some things you can do to ease the load.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and you just don’t know where to start or what to do to get through this day, here is what you must do.
If you are struggling with work:
- Take a few deep breaths. Tell yourself it is just a feeling and you are in control of your feelings.
- Stand up and get yourself something to drink - coffee, tea or ice water. Drink it slowly. Saviour the moment of just relaxing. Think of something pleasant.
- After you have calmed down, make a list of everything that you must do, then mark the things that must be done today.
- Put the most urgent things first and then start doing it.
- Make sure to mark the things off that are done on your list.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance if you are struggling with something. Nobody’s perfect.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with life in general:
Sometimes life can just get you down. You are stressed out and depressed and feel like you just can’t handle anything anymore.
- If you are depressed, overly anxious or stressed, please get professional help. Make an appointment to go and see your doctor and if he/she should subscribe your medicine, drink it regularly. It takes time for these meds to really have an effect, so listen to your doctor and have patience.
- While you might feel like just staying in bed and giving up on the world, don’t quit on life or yourself. Follow the 5-things-rule. From the moment you wake up, give yourself 5 things to do. It can be simple things like: 1. Going to the bathroom. 2. Brushing my teeth. 3. Getting dressed 4. Brushing hair 5. Making the bed. After you have done the 5 things, think of the next 5 things to be done. Keep it at 5 at a time. A friend of mine struggled with depression and when it was at its worst she wrote the 5 things down every time and ticked it off as she did it. It gave her a sense of accomplishment.
- Don’t try to battle it out alone. Talk to a friend or family member you can trust or find an online support group. Talking about our feelings and emotions are the first step in the process of learning how to manage them.
- Make sure to get some fresh air every day. Even if you only go out into your backyard.
- Try to eat three healthy meals every day, even if you don’t feel like it.
- Write down one good memory, one thing you are thankful for and one thing that is good about today, every day.
- Keep your faith. Make time to pray.
- Make sure to take regular breaks throughout the day, where you focus on deep breathing.
Need more inspiration?
Get into the driver seat of your life, take control of your own happiness and stop placing limits on your potential.
We invite you to talk to us about a workshop that will best solve your personal and professional issues. Should you not be able to conduct a face-to-face workshop anytime soon, feel free to browse through our online store for one of our self-help books.
For more inspiration, visit Lynette's online shop to buy one of her many Inspirational Books!
ONLINE SHOP
Share with Friends
Understanding people is to understand the building blocks of relationships. Knowing the four temperament types gives us the keys to this understanding – enabling us to get insight into what motivates people to react in specific ways.
I have to date, not met any successful healthcare worker without a deep love for people. Empathy and caring for people's needs should form part of any nurse or doctor's make-up – unless they choose to spend time in laboratories or the admin side of the industry.
If there is one place knowledge of the temperaments could save one's bacon, it is in the classroom. Teachers who know the characteristics of the four temperaments would invest in their survival and peace of mind by applying this knowledge to the learning environment.
Stress management is not a nice-to-have skill. If anything, dealing with stress could be a lifesaver. For many corporate positions, it has become a prerequisite for employment.
Communicating is a vital life skill that does not come naturally to all. When it comes to talking, the Red and Yellow temperaments have no problem at all – to the contrary, they are talkers par excellence. As the storyteller and performer, Yellow could make an impromptu speech with little or no warning, while Red could persuade a large group to follow his course or buy into his concept. But listening – the other crucial ingredient of communication - is a skill both Red and Yellow must practise.
Although the two extrovert types, Raving Red and Yappy Yellow, are traditionally the apparent leaders, all temperaments can lead a team. It is a misconception that introverts do not make good leaders.
Although opposites often attract, there is no scientific proof that this is the norm. However, it is common to find an introvert marrying an extrovert or a people-oriented person finding a task-oriented Red or Blue attractive. This could be a subconscious step to compliment him- or herself or simply make sure that he or she does not have to perform a duty that does not come naturally or comfortably.
‘Know Thyself’ has never been as crucial as in the parenting role. Parents have often told me that the child they battle the most with is the one that resembles them – in character and temperament. Flaring up against young Jimmy because he shows signs of your own shortcomings is human – but not fair.
Groovy Green hates making decisions – it comes with the temperament… He or she is a master procrastinator and good at passing on the decision-making buck. Feeling unworthy and not ‘good enough’, clever enough or competent enough to make any decision, is almost a natural reaction for our Green brothers and sisters.