How to stop feeling overwhelmed

You know that document you need to create?

Or those expense reports you need to work on?

Or that strategy you really need to plan?

Yup that one. The one you keep putting off.

Guess what?

That prolonged project is not a sign of your procrastination.

It’s not a sign of your lack of motivation.

It’s not a signifier of your laziness.

It is, however, another self-sabotaging excuse disguised as…

Duh, duh, duuuuuuuuhhhhhh….

Overwhelm.

Yes, even when your procrastinated task is as simple as “return shirt at Target” it stems from overwhelm.

Here’s the thing about overwhelm. There are obvious ways and not so obvious ways it rears its ugly head.

Obvious ways:

Running around like a crazy person
Stressed and snippy with people around you
Not getting enough sleep
Totally slacking on exercise
Feeling like your brain might explode

Not so obvious ways: 

Feeling paralyzed
Redoing your to-do list 15 times
Needlessly jumping on social media
Have brain fog and feeling scattered

Overwhelm rises in many forms that impact our emotional, physical, and mental results.

The good news is that the first step to stop drowning is rather easy.

I’m serious.

You simply have to tap into your AWARENESS.

Where you put your focus, what and who you say yes and no to, how you react to requests – all stem from your awareness.

When you’re not tapped into your awareness you operate in reactive mode, submerged in the distractions and demands of others.

On the more empowering hand, with higher awareness you step back, reassess, recalibrate and make decisions with clarity and intention.

It’s easy to let awareness fall by the wayside when you’re running by the seat of your pants, without a minute to breathe.

But it it at this very moment when your awareness must be heightened the most.

It is at this precise opportunity to stop and ask yourself:

“Is this really the best of use of my time?”
“Is this request truly urgent?”
“Will this task or activity get me closer to my goals?”
You can not, you will not make changes until you train yourself to get present to the chaos and the corrections that need to be made.

You will want to fight this counterintuitive reaction.

Because it’s natural to keep pushing when circumstances get more challenging.

It feels illogical to spend MORE time to step back and reassess when you’re already so far behind.

I get it.

But the truth is, grinding forward is not serving you well either.

It’s keeping you stuck in busyness, anxiety, and mediocrity. (Checking off the list but not getting anything meaningful done).

I challenge you to STOP exactly when it feels like you shouldn’t.

Tap into your awareness.

Breathe and reassess.

And rise out of the overwhelm.

Your confident and in-control future self is waiting for you.

Ready to put the kibosh on feeling overwhelmed? Let’s chat. Sign up for a free consult with me here and learn how to take back control of your focus, time, and energy.

Mridu Parikh

I help time-strapped go-getters who are overwhelmed by their demands and distractions, get more time and feel less stressed. I'm Mridu Parikh, Productivity Coach, Consultant, & Author. If you want to focus your time and energy on what matters most, you've come to the right place.

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