Has it ever happened to you: that feeling that you are NEVER going to get it all done...NEVER! I know it has happened to me.
It is called overwhelm, and I think it happens to all of us occasionally. Overwhelm can be caused by a number of things, but usually it is because you have said "yes" to too many things. The second most common cause of overwhelm is projection: you are thinking about some point in the future instead of right now. Overwhelm has a tendency to stop us in our tracks, there might be a feeling that there is so much to do that we might as well sit down and do nothing, because there is no way to get it all done.
Here are some things you can do to prevent overwhelm:
- Say no. If you can't say no, the invitation is to take a look at that. Why can't you say no? Usually there is some underlying fear that causes this. Fear of displeasing someone, fear of not being included, fear of not being accepted. Take a good hard look at what you have said "yes" to and see if you can remove any of those yesses from your life.
- Live in the moment. The Buddhists have it right when they say mindfulness is the key to peace. Don't think about yesterday, it is a done deal. Don't think about tomorrow, it hasn't happened yet. Think about right now.
- Break it down. I don't know about you, but I can do anything for an hour. I may not be able to even contemplate doing it for a day, but I can do it for an hour. If you have a number of tasks in front of you, pick one and work on it for an hour. Then give yourself permission to take a break. Then do it again.
And if you have a pattern of feeling overwhelmed, consider that it may not be serving you. It might serve you better to get some help to change that.
I can help, contact me.