There are a million things that need to get done. It can flood our minds to the point where we become stagnant and we won’t get anything done. You silently hope that something will give, so there will be one less thing to think about.
Being overwhelmed is mental weight. If not managed correctly, it will zap your mental energy throughout your entire day because you can’t stop thinking about all the things that need to be done. You know you can do it, but it’s so much, it feels like you’re stuck and you don’t know where to start.
Overwhelm is a major cause of self-care denial. We’re so busy doing things for others that we forget about caring for ourselves.
Becoming overwhelmed is a responsibility you have to accept. No one makes you do anything – you make the choice to take on different tasks from different directions. You take on so much that you wear yourself down and that’s not healthy, mentally or physically.
What Can You Do?
Overwhelm doesn’t have to consume your life. There are a few ways you can break free from your mental prison.
- Brain dump. Every evening before bed, do a brain dump. A brain dump is when you write down everything that needs to be done the next day. It declutters your mind from those thoughts that keep popping up in your head. Not only does it relieve mental stress, but you are able to have a more restful sleep. Your mind won’t be overloaded with the things you have to remember to do the next day. Try it out – it works.
- Delegate. We all know that you do it the best and no one else can do it better than you. It may be true, but get over it. Some things can be outsourced or delegated. For your mental sake, ask someone else to do it – we know it won’t be to your standards, but for you to make any kind of improvement, you need to let some things go and allow others to do it. It might not be perfect, but the world is still turning.
- Write it down. Take a few minutes and write out what you’re going to do and when you’ll do it. Give it a special time. It doesn’t take long to make a list. The hardest thing will be completing them. Also, when you write it down, you remove some of the burden from your mind – when you complete it, it will be totally out of your mind. Create more space in your mind for other tasks and thinking by writing down what needs to be done and following through.
There’s no magic trick to getting everything done all at once, but you can manage the mental load.
When you get to a place where you feel everything is flowing and under control, it’ll open up some extra time. What can you do with that extra time? Something for yourself.
#BeGoalden