The world is moving fast and there is a lot of things to handle, unpack, process and manage. If you allow yourself to stay in a state of feeling overwhelmed, that pressure and uncertainty combined with this feeling that you can’t get anything done or remember is eventually gonna create anxiety in your life, and that’s a very vicious circle.
Here’s what I do to break it:
first of all, I stop for a moment. In order to adopt all the information and take it in, body needs to relax. So what I do in those moments is whatever I like to do that relaxes me in a healthy way, so using my phone might not be the best way. I put it away, turn off the internet and all notifications. Then I choose something l like. Drawing, listening to music (not distracting one), meditation, yoga nidra (yoga of sleep) or a walk. It doesn’t need to be long. Sometimes it takes 5, 15 minutes, sometimes more, there is no rule. I just focus on my breath, observe the tempo of my thoughts until I feel I have the capacity to notice my thoughts without this stressful and rushing feeling.
Next step: “brain dump”. I know, sounds weird, but it's essential. I take a piece of paper or my notebook, go inside my brain and write everything down. Why writing? It allows me to look at my thoughts from a different perspective. They’re not in my head anymore, not so strongly anyway. I write down every concern, every worry, every “to do”, everything that’s bothering or bugging me. The important part of it is to try not to judge, just write. Then I highlight the ones that really matter to me. That’s what I do/learn.
The key is, to repeat this process every time I feel overwhelmed.
What I do to prevent being overwhelmed:
1. First, and the most important step, I talk to people who are good for me, who can really understand me and help me go through hard times without dragging me down with their attitude.
2. I’m more selective about the information I take in every day. I analise what it is that I’m consuming. To be more selective I’m asking myself constantly what it is that I’m looking for and what benefits this information or knowledge will give me, and how I can apply them in things that I want to do.
3. I try to focus at one thing at a time in order to really digest what I’m learning and give myself time for it. Some things, especially hard ones need time to sink in and sometimes they need actual practise.
4. I check if there’s anything else that may cause feeling overwhelmed and anxious: lack of sleep, poor diet, not enough water, too much caffeine.
All the steps combined give me amazing effects. It takes time, practise, patience and self-compassion to do it. I know that it’s not easy, but it gets easier with time.
Patience, my friend. If you try any of it, let me know how it went!
Want to know more? Watch this video of Chris Do & Melinda Livsey exploring the subject.