Getting to the core of your overwhelm

- In the moment we feel overwhelmed, it's easy to blame it on external factors like having too much to do and not enough time, dealing with difficult people, or being stuck in circumstances that feel out of our control. The magnitude of all of it can just shut us down, leaving us feeling helpless and hopeless. Which is why releasing the pressure of overwhelm by circuit-breaking stress is such an important first step. Then with a more open and flexible brain, we can look for things that we do have control of, even if it's not our specific circumstances. Now, there are three primary sources of stress that nudge our nervous system into feeling overwhelmed. Lack of capacity or energy, lack of creativity or perspective, and lack of control or agency. Let's unpack each of these together. First, let's look at capacity. Most people automatically blame feeling overwhelmed on not having enough time to get it all done. But we all have the same 24 hours in a day. It's just that some of us try to cram more than is humanly possible into that timeframe. Learning time management strategies can help to make sure that your expectations are reasonable and that you're prioritizing the right things at the right time. There are several great courses on time management right here in LinkedIn Learning that you can explore. That said, most people fail to learn about what I believe is our most valuable resource of all, the energy we bring to the time that we have. Because although energy is limited, it's also replenishable. And we can train ourselves to build our energy capacity over time. Another key source of overwhelm is a lack of cognitive flexibility or creativity. This happens when we get stuck in negative biases or threat sensitivity where our attention becomes hyper-focused on things that are going wrong or could go wrong. In this state, the brain literally shuts down our ability to think and act in new ways. So we often repeat the same habits over and over again just putting out fires and trying to survive another day. But research supports the idea that we can train our brains to become more creative by spending time being curious, doing gratitude exercises, setting realistic goals for ourselves, or practicing self-compassion. There are several great courses here on LinkedIn that will support you in these efforts, as well. And perhaps the biggest trigger for overwhelm is when we feel like no matter how hard we try, it won't really matter. We call this a lack of agency or control. And, of course, there will always be things in life we can't control, but there are always things we can do to make it better. Even if it's simply improving our own ability to navigate through difficult times. We can almost always get a little bit more sleep, take a few more breaks to walk or stretch, eat a little bit healthier, or offer to help someone else. Although it may not change our circumstances, these small action steps will help us to gain confidence that our actions really do matter and will recharge our own energy battery along the way. So if you're trying to break the cycle of overwhelm, take a few minutes to think about what you really need right now. Do you need more energy capacity? Do you need to think in more creative and flexible ways? Or do you need to take control over one small action in your life that will help you to feel better regardless of the circumstances? If you want some additional tips and techniques for any of these areas, you can download my list of Recommended Resources in the Exercise Files. Remember, taking just one small action can help to create progress and motivation to keep us moving forward in positive ways.