Overwhelmed? – Carve a staircase out of a wall!

Overwhelmed? Maybe it’s that you actually are taking on too much for you to handle!

People with anxiety and depression often find themselves feeling overwhelmed with the demands of daily life. If getting up in the morning, going to the washroom and cleaning yourself up, brushing your hair, getting dressed and all that before making your lunch, etc. and going to work is tiring enough, how about when you think about the projects you need to or should be doing? It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you are piling many things on top of your plate when it is already full of life’s daily routines!

Feeling overwhelmed is disempowering – you feel useless, and can’t focus on any task. The end result? Lying on the couch or in bed all day in defeat. Feeling even worse because you couldn’t get something done.

A good thing to practice when you are feeling strong emotions is to stand back and examine whether they are appropriate for the situation. If you are feeling enraged, does the situation really warrant that much anger? What about when you are scared or fearful – are you really in trouble? Likely not so. But when you are overwhelmed, trust that you are overwhelmed. If things seem too much for you to handle, they are. This is one feeling that doesn’t lie to you.

Tasks that should be simple or trivial may seem impossible because you are feeling overwhelmed. This adds to your inner-negativity (“I’m a failure! I can’t even do this simple task!”) and lands you back in bed with the covers pulled up.

But don’t give up; just start seeing the problem/situation/task in a different way. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the most important thing for people with depression and anxiety, and anyone really, to be doing when attempting to take on projects is to break them down into manageable parts: chunking! (See Step 3 of Staying motivated when discouraged)

By carving staircases out of walls we can overcome any issue! By this I mean breaking larger tasks and projects into smaller goals.

Often you’ll find that once you get started you can keep the motivation, as you see your success building!

There is also the possibility of being overwhelmed by multiple, smaller goals flitting through our minds. Maybe we have to clean the house, make dinner, do homework, go grocery shopping, finish that laundry and then take the cat to the vet and the kids to daycare...

That’s a lot of things to think about at once!

People are only able to effectively (and sanely!) focus on one thing at a time. We will feel overwhelmed when we overload our thought-circuits with too many things. The best thing to do in this case is to pile all our worries and thoughts onto one side (clear a little working space, if you will) and focus on one thing. It is helpful to write a list of tasks, and check them as you go – so that they are no longer in your mind.

                                   Tip: When overwhelmed: Simplify! One thing at a time!

What does this mean for those of us who are feeling well? We can always take a lesson from our emotions: scale back when feeling overwhelmed. Always remember to focus on one thing at a time, and soon you will feel more capable! Try to come up with a saying or motivational statement to remind yourself to scale back when feeling overwhelmed!

                                                                        Conquer on!

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to Conquer The Clouds

Motivating and encouraging statements!

It’s been a long week here for me, and I have been feeling the strain of too much work, and not enough play! I hope you’ve all kept up with this week’s challenge. Don’t fret if you haven’t, but check out this page to see what you’ve been missing out on!

I’ve been dealing with the resurgence of rush-hour after work again as people return from holidays, going back to work and school... I find it pressing on my ability to stay excited about my projects at home when I think about how long it's going to take to get there after work...

So that put me in mind to write down some of the motivating thoughts that I incorporate to stay on top of my projects! These may be relevant and helpful to others if they are slipping into The Spiral.

I have little notes written to myself in various places – I have one that I see almost every morning, as a matter of fact, sitting in my bathroom on a piece of decorative wood. It stares at me, and forces me to read the words. Whether I believe it is irrelevant. Just that it’s there and the words are visible and it’s written in first person embeds it into my mind.

                                                         "Today is yours. Take it!"

It’s scribbled on a piece of yellow envelope.

That is one of a few things that I say/think to myself to keep me going for my goals!

Here is a list of a few others that you can write on a credit-card sized piece of paper and tuck into your wallet. Also, feel free (if permitted) to write little messages to yourself on your mirror, or window even! If you write on little sticky notes, tape them to surfaces you see regularly, like the side of your computer monitor, or spots near your desk at work.

Here are some positive thoughts and motivating ideas to start you off! Write down as many as you like, come up with more, and spread them around your life!

You are awesome, so start acting like it.

·         This might suck but I can do it! (I use this one a for things I might not necessarily want to be doing!)

o   This is important if you find it hard to keep going or you think you are alone in your coping. If it is the daily rigors of life and work that get you down, remember you definitely aren’t alone. It might suck, but you are DOING IT!

·         I am worth my time and effort!

·         This will not kill me; it hasn’t yet!

·         This thought is not reality, it is in my mind!

·         I can choose how I react to these thoughts; I am not at the mercy of my thoughts! (this is very important because it permits a feeling of control, and it’s true – you are in control of your reactions. This is a particularly empowering thought if you feel overwhelmed).

·         This might be scary but I can get through it.

·         Analysis is Paralysis. (this one is VERY important for people who tend to brood on things and situations)

·         Refocus: stay in the present and stay focused. Deal with things when they come.

·         Today is a new day.

·         Only you can heal your life.

·         I am still me.

·         I am allowed to feel overwhelmed. It doesn’t make me less of a person.  (If you find yourself wanting/needing to use this one often, it could be indicative that you may need to take stock of your life and see whether you have too many things on the go!)

·         Seek the opportunity in the situation, not the obstacle. (This will help you to refocus on potentially positive aspects of any situation. There can be obstacles wherever you look and if you focus on them, that’s all you will ever get – more obstacles. What you focus on tends to increase in your life. If you refocus onto the opportunities present, you will begin to see more positively.)

·         This will not be forever.

Please share any positive thoughts or motivating statements that you use or think could be useful! 

                                                          Conquer on!

Other topics you may be interested in:

What motivates you?

Overwhelmed?- Carve a staircase out of a wall!

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to Conquer The Clouds