11 Effective Ways to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

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Overwhelm is a feeling all of us have to deal with at some point in our lives.

If you are studying at university, especially if you are a Law student like me, overwhelm will probably be a recurring feeling.

Some of us feel overpowered by it and quit the source which creates the overwhelm. Others push through the feeling because they have to.

Wouldn’t it be more pleasant to deal with Overwhelm deliberately and to prevent it from hitting its peak?

To do just that here are 11 ways that will help you to deal with Overwhelm:

1. Write it Down

Overwhelm is often caused by too many thoughts running through our heads. We keep thinking about all the things we need to do and about random ideas that pop into our minds.

If too many of those thoughts swirl around our heads, we get anxious because we know we are going to forget some of them.

To prevent our brain from overloading with thoughts and information, we need to write them down!

For tasks or appointments, you need to create a To Do list. You don´t even need to look at it regularly and check it off, but knowing that you have written your tasks down somewhere will ease your mind significantly.

Of course, this hack isn´t something new. Many people benefit from To-Do lists nowadays.

However, I want to mention a different method of writing your thoughts down. Namely through journaling!

I know that journaling is somewhat of a controversial topic. Some people love it, and others hate it.

Personally, I never journaled. I always thought I wouldn´t know what to journal about. However, at the beginning of 2019, I felt this mental overload. My brain was swimming in ideas, thoughts, and emotions. I knew I wanted to write all of it down.

The first day I could only write down part of it. It had just been too much at once.

However, this first journaling session started a fun little challenge for me. I challenged myself to journal about something every single day for a week. Then it became two weeks. Then I forgot about the challenge and journaled daily for almost two months straight!

I use journaling as a braindump. Everything that occupies my mind that day is going to be written down.

In the beginning, I sometimes journaled for 2 hours! It´s crazy, I know. Now, at times I only journal for 15 minutes.

It has become very apparent to me, that my mind feels lighter. Through this outlet, I don´t have as many things occupying my thoughts. I feel more at ease and less stressed. And therefore I have less to journal about.

Of course, you do not have to journal daily or for a specific amount of time. But whenever you feel overwhelmed try to write those thoughts down.

Despite making you feel more relaxed, it also practices your writing skills. And anyway, what do you have to lose?

Read also: 11 Journaling Prompts To Skyrocket Into The New Year

2. Have a system

While writing your mental chaos down is all well, it might result in some further confusion if you have no system for it.

You might write something down in that notebook, something in the other notebook, something on your phone and something on your laptop.

And then you always think that you should combine those notes, but by now they have become too many that it demands increasingly more effort to combine them. And now, that is your new source of overwhelm.

Again, I´ve been at that point. But I found an efficient solution for that, named Trello.

Trello is an online project management software. Because of its highly customizable collaboration function, many businesses use the paid version to plan and delegate tasks.

The good news is, Trello has a fantastic free version! I highly recommend you to check it out!

And here is how I use Trello. I created one big Board for my daily life.

Within that, I have one list for every single day of the week, a monthly list, a yearly list, an ideas list and a list for everything else.

Each list consists of different cards. And within a card, you can create Checklists and deadlines. Or you can add a tag to your card.

All those cards and lists can be moved around to your liking.

In summary, you can use Trello for literally everything you want to write down. I have a Bucketlist, a To Do list, a funny quotes list, a content list, a manifestation list, a list for everything that swirls around my mind and needs a place to be written down.

I recommend you to try it out, especially since it is free!

But should you not like to do it digitally, you can just as well create a system of journals and notebooks. The only essential thing is that you know exactly where everything is and that you can write your thoughts down as quickly as possible.

3. Break it Down

Overwhelm also stems from only looking at the big picture.

If I think about my graduation in a few years, I get anxious about the sheer amount of knowledge I need to absorb until then.

However, if I only focus on this semester or even better this month, this week, today, everything seems way more feasible.

So analyze what exactly it is that overwhelms you. Now, break it down into smaller parts. What do you need to do until that overwhelming event is finished?

Now, look at the first of these small tasks. Does that task still overwhelm you? If yes, try to break it down even more.

If you focus on accomplishing one task at a time, you can reach incredible things in a month or a year from now, and it will be less overwhelming.

Writing a single page a day might not seem like much. But within a year you will have written a 365 pages book! How amazing is that?!

4. Take a step back

Sometimes all we need to do is relax and take a step back from the situation. Making yourself crazy won´t get the job done faster.

Give yourself half an hour, an hour or a day, depending on what you feel you need and just relax!

Listen to some music, walk in nature, take a nap, dance or draw, do something that won´t occupy your mind as much.

After the break, your mind will feel refreshed and will be able to look for a practical solution on how to tackle the overwhelming situation step by step.

I know that our society always makes us believe that everyone is hustling non-stop. And of course, as a Felicity Seeker, I know you work very hard to reach success and live your life to the fullest.

While this is an admirable goal that separates you from most of our society, you need to remember that true Felicity comes from balancing all areas of our life. And that includes Self-care.

So don´t be so hard on yourself!

5. Focus on the Present

Another way to calm that feeling of overwhelm is to focus on the present. If you want to go deeper into this topic, I recommend you to check out my “The Power of Now” Book Review and Lessons.

One thing the book teaches is that overwhelm is caused by living in the future.

However, all we ever have is the present. Our lives consist of a series of present moments. And in the present, many of our “problems” do not exist.

Right now, there is no paper due. Right now, there are no five people that similarly are demanding something of you.

Look around you. What can you see?
Listen. What can you hear?
What can you smell?

Take a deep breathe in and out. Once you have your mind cleared from all worries and focused on the present, you can calmly redirect your focus to the source of your overwhelm.

With the knowledge in mind, that there is no real issue in this very moment, you can calmly search for a solution and tackle one task at a time.

6. Understand the source of your overwhelm

To overcome any problem, it is essential to figure out the cause of it. Finding the cause of our overwhelm can be effortless, other times it can prove challenging.

In those moments, journaling, meditating or taking a step back from the situation in general, can give you the insight you need.

Once you figured out what it is that stresses you, you can take active steps against it.

7. Figure out your patterns

This goes hand in hand with finding the source of your overwhelm. Chances are, the source of your overwhelm has caused you overwhelm multiple times before.

Is it that you always try to please everyone and can´t say no?
Do you lack self-discipline and always procrastinate until the last minute?
Are you bad at time management and think specific tasks take less time than they actually do?
Maybe you just need to clear up your cramped space.

Whenever you are about to make one of those pattern-like decisions, remind yourself of that horrible feeling of overwhelm.

You don´t need to fight the overwhelm if you can prevent it from spreading in the first place.

8. Be realistic

Having 25 tasks a day is simply too much! If you wake up in the morning and already see that massive amount of things, you need to accomplish, it is no wonder you feel overwhelmed!

Learn your limits and prioritize specific tasks.
Try to have only three high priority tasks a day. If you complete these tasks but nothing else you can still pat your back because those are the most important ones.

9. Give up Control

A lot of times we feel overwhelmed by having too many tasks on our plate at once. As mentioned before, you need to be realistic. There is no way, you can do hundreds of tasks all alone.

At the same time, of course, nobody expects you just to drop all the other tasks, if they are essential for e. g. your business.

Sometimes, we need to learn to give up control and delegate tasks.

Yes, other people might not put in the effort you do. Yes, they might not make it exactly the same way you do.

But you know what? They get it done! And that way, you can finally stop feeling overwhelmed and focus on your most important tasks.

Read also: 10 Ways To Tune Into Your Feminine Energy

10. Gratefulness

Gratefulness can destroy any form of negative emotion.

Of course, you can be grateful for everything in your life. But to beat overwhelm, try to be grateful for how far you´ve already come, for the tasks you have already completed, for the opportunity to be able to complete the tasks ahead.

And especially remind yourself of all the overwhelm you have already overcome. Be grateful for the strength it has given you and know, that you can overcome this situation too!

11. Take Massive Action!

In the end, all of the tactics mentioned above can only ease the overwhelm, but they won´t make it disappear.

The only way to overcome it is to take the necessary action. Do NOT procrastinate! It will make matters only worse!

Complete one task after the other. And before you know it, you will have achieved the very thing that overwhelmed you.

Bonus

Know that you are not alone.

Whether you know it or not, there is ALWAYS somebody else who feels overwhelmed with the same or a similar task like the one you have to do.

If you need proof for that, look up some Law Student quotes and memes ;D

In the end, no matter how overwhelmed you feel at the moment, know it will pass. Know that you will succeed in your task.

Because since you are reading this, Felicity Seeker, I know you are a badass achiever, who won´t let her/himself be stopped by anything in the pursuit of a happier life!

I believe in you Felicity Seeker! And it´s time you do too!