Overwhelm is a form of emotional stress. But it is much more than that.
Some people describe overwhelm as becoming over-powered or completely overcome by intense emotional pressures or challenges, or problems with some aspects of their lives, health or wellbeing.
When experiencing emotional overwhelm it can be difficult to think straight and deal with problems in a rational manner. Everything, simply becomes too much to handle or manage and in turn can have a traumatic effect on your personal and professional life.
When experiencing emotional overwhelm it can be difficult to think straight and deal with problems in a rational manner. Everything, simply becomes too much to handle or manage and in turn can have a traumatic effect on your personal and professional life.
What can cause overwhelm?
There can be many different reasons why you may become overwhelmed. It can be family related or problems in relationships or in the workplace that leads to overwhelm. When life becomes over-demanding, stressful, all-consuming, the intensity of the build-up of emotional pressure can lead to a feeling of being completely overwhelmed, with even the simplest of tasks becoming too difficult to manage or complete.
Some people describe overwhelm as feeling like you are drowning, with everything around you building up to a stage, where you feel submerged in all the pressures of life and frozen with anxiety and panic.
In our fast-paced modern world there are ever-increasing demands, pressures and challenges. Overwhelm can occur from increased workloads, longer working hours or taking on board too much responsibility either professionally or within family situations, especially that which is NOT YOUR responsibility.
When your body reaches a certain stage of emotional stress and overwhelm due to these pressures, even the good things in life can become too much. At times like this being offered a holiday in the sun, (which can normally be an exciting prospect), can add to your levels of overwhelm, as you contemplate all the extra pressures of preparing for a holiday and all the extra travel and expense that goes with it.
Some people describe overwhelm as feeling like you are drowning, with everything around you building up to a stage, where you feel submerged in all the pressures of life and frozen with anxiety and panic.
In our fast-paced modern world there are ever-increasing demands, pressures and challenges. Overwhelm can occur from increased workloads, longer working hours or taking on board too much responsibility either professionally or within family situations, especially that which is NOT YOUR responsibility.
When your body reaches a certain stage of emotional stress and overwhelm due to these pressures, even the good things in life can become too much. At times like this being offered a holiday in the sun, (which can normally be an exciting prospect), can add to your levels of overwhelm, as you contemplate all the extra pressures of preparing for a holiday and all the extra travel and expense that goes with it.
How you can learn to deal with overwhelm
When a cup is overflowing it does not matter what caused it to overflow, whether it is good or bad. When it is full to capacity the slightest drop over and above will cause it to overflow.
Your body is similar. Like the cup, if the physical body has too much to handle, good or bad, it will overflow. If your emotional or mental body has too much to cope with it, it will overflow, by going into overwhelm.
Warnings appear from time to time such as physical illness, emotional outbursts, panic attacks and depression. This can be your body telling you that it’s had enough and just cannot take anymore.
Your body is similar. Like the cup, if the physical body has too much to handle, good or bad, it will overflow. If your emotional or mental body has too much to cope with it, it will overflow, by going into overwhelm.
Warnings appear from time to time such as physical illness, emotional outbursts, panic attacks and depression. This can be your body telling you that it’s had enough and just cannot take anymore.
Emotional issues or traumas
You can also symbolically see your body like a bin.
You may have filled your bin to the top by taking on more than you can handle. Then someone else comes along and adds even more garbage to your bin, the bin overflows, and inevitably the lid blows off. The person who adds the last piece of garbage usually gets the blame, but think about all the garbage you may have stored in your bin for many days, months or years, prior to this overflow or overwhelm.
When this happens, some people may say you are over-reacting, but in actual fact you are in total overwhelm.
You may have filled your bin to the top by taking on more than you can handle. Then someone else comes along and adds even more garbage to your bin, the bin overflows, and inevitably the lid blows off. The person who adds the last piece of garbage usually gets the blame, but think about all the garbage you may have stored in your bin for many days, months or years, prior to this overflow or overwhelm.
When this happens, some people may say you are over-reacting, but in actual fact you are in total overwhelm.
Limitations or boundaries
You may have many suppressed and unresolved emotional issues or traumas that are affecting you, at this moment in time. These emotional issues or traumas could have started in your childhood, or, they may have occurred during adulthood, where you did not recognise your own limitations or boundaries.
Perhaps you have put added pressure on yourself by continually trying to oblige other people because you felt obligated to do so, rather than following your feelings about what you felt capable of doing within your own limitations.
You may have been taking other people’s issues on board and over-burdening yourself until it all became too much for you, or until you went into total overwhelm or panic, or became sick or unwell.
Perhaps you have put added pressure on yourself by continually trying to oblige other people because you felt obligated to do so, rather than following your feelings about what you felt capable of doing within your own limitations.
You may have been taking other people’s issues on board and over-burdening yourself until it all became too much for you, or until you went into total overwhelm or panic, or became sick or unwell.
What can you do now?
You can help to decrease levels of overwhelm, by taking some action now and making some immediate changes to your lifestyle. Before making any further commitments, take a long deep breath, remain still for a moment and ask yourself, how you feel about what is being requested of you.
As soon as you make the decision to take some action in relation to your overwhelm and the possible causes of it, you have automatically taken back control of your own life and your own health. Now the decisions you make can be; to do the things that are good for your own physical, emotional and mental health and well-being.
Give yourself permission to say NO
As soon as you make the decision to take some action in relation to your overwhelm and the possible causes of it, you have automatically taken back control of your own life and your own health. Now the decisions you make can be; to do the things that are good for your own physical, emotional and mental health and well-being.
Give yourself permission to say NO
- It is okay to say NO if you feel you are being pressurised to do more than you are already doing in your work, sporting activities, relationships or in the home.
- Practice that magic word ‘NO’ on a daily basis. When you feel you are being coerced by other people – learning to you say NO, allows you to take back control of your own life.
- Limit yourself to what you feel capable of doing in any given situation. Your personal time and space, is of special importance to you.
- Try not to be too critical of yourself, but it may be helpful to reflect and see if there is a pattern to your behaviour that has caused this overwhelm.
- Learn to ask for help. Learn to let go of what you do not need, especially other people’s issues, problems or baggage. Learn to deal with present issues as they happen.
- Learn to recognise and accept your own limitations and learn to create and maintain your own boundaries in what you are capable of, rather than what may be expected of you.
- Learn that you can change yourself, but you cannot change anyone else. You are not responsible for anyone but yourself.
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