Feeling Overwhelmed?

If you don't feel in the mood to read you can just sit back, press play and watch the video instead.

Does the following seem familiar? "So many things to do and so little time to do it in and my mind is racing. So many sounds, sights and smells to take in and it overloads my senses. Internal and external chatter all around me and I start to feel discombobulated. I rush about trying to get my daily activities achieved while trying to self-regulate. I have a headache, my hearts pacing, and anxiety starts to set in. The feelings of overwhelm are overtaking my soul as I scramble around trying to find a way out".

If you can relate to one of my experiences I have just described, you may be struggling with feelings of overwhelm. Everyone from time to time feels overwhelmed, especially in this fast paced society we live in. However when living with neurological differences, a mental illness, going through difficult or stressful times, or indeed if you are a highly sensitive person it is really common to struggle with feeling massively overwhelmed a lot.

Feeling constantly overwhelmed can harm our mental health and overall well-being, that's why it is so important to recognise when we are feeling overwhelmed and learn how to cope with it so we can alleviate some of that stress.

Below I will write what overwhelm is, what causes it, how to spot signs of overwhelm, how to cope with it to stop it from escalating further.

What is overwhelm? Feeling overwhelmed is a state of being where you are having trouble with managing intense emotions. Overwhelm is commonly thought of as a negative emotion, however it can have very positive connotations too such as feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, happiness and joy.

What causes it? Overwhelm is caused by internal and external stimuli, stress, life experiences, difficult times, trauma, mental illness, neurological differences and being a highly sensitive person.

How to spot the signs of overwhelm:

Heightened senses.

Over worrying.

Not being able to think rationally.

You might loose your confidence.

Unable to face problems.

Trouble focusing or completing tasks.

Difficulty in taking care of yourself and you may neglect self care.

Struggle to sleep or stay asleep.

Fatigue.

Anxiety and panic.

Coping strategies to overcome feelings of overwhelm:

Controlled breathing exercises.

Mindfulness techniques to ground yourself.

Create firm boundaries and stick to them.

Positive self talk, affirmations and mantra's.

Practice self care.

Slow down and don't take on as much.

Take time out to relax and recharge.

Practice good sleep hygiene.

Talk to trusted family and friends and please seek support from your doctor or mental health professional if you need to.

Comments

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