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Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with everything you need to do that you don't do anything at all?

Psychologists have a name for that. It is actually part of our stress response system. You might have heard of the fight or flight response. Psychologists have recently recognized a third characteristic of this response which is freeze. The freeze response is a way of protecting us from danger by a sort of  camouflage with not moving; you become "invisible."

The thing is, our stress response automatically triggers regardless if it's an actual life and death situation or psychological stress. When you are overwhelmed and feeling stressed out, it's vital to reduce the intense feelings. I have another post that goes into more detail about TIPP skills they use in DBT, and you can click on the link here for that post. Once you reduce the intense emotions, then you can think cognitively.

What I'm going to talk about in this post is more of a preventative measure, and by doing the skills, you will hopefully prevent feeling overwhelmed. Like anything else, they take practice, so I would start with one skill at a time and when you become proficient at that, try another skill. Before you know it, you will have a whole toolbox full of skills at your disposal. You can pick and choose the ones that work best for you.

Here are ten ways I help reduce overwhelm:

1.     Set goals: set long-term AND short-term goals. For example, I want to start my own business (long term goal) steps I can take now are; take some courses on business and marketing, save some money for the initial capital it will take to launch the business, join a group of like-minded people (masterminds)

2.     Set priorities: after making your "to-do list" make 2 MUST do's. No matter what happens these two things must get done. For example, I MUST exercise for at least 20 minutes today and I MUST finish recording this portion of my course.

3.     Set boundaries: learn how to say no and not take on more responsibilities than you can and should do. Sometimes people take advantage of our good nature and sometimes we are enabling our loved ones by not allowing them to do it themselves even if that means they fall flat on their face.

4.     Set time limits: When doing a task sometimes we can get caught up and lose track of time and then the other things we need to do get put off and then we panic at trying to get it all done. Also when indulging in such pleasures as TV, social media, or eating out again we get caught up and lose track of time. Set an alarm if you need to so that you don't overindulge in such activities.

5.     Ask for help: Everyone needs help from time to time, even warriors and heroes. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. On the contrary, it is a sign of strength. It takes a lot of courage to ask someone for help. Also, do you know how good you feel when you can help someone? Well, when you don't ask for help you are denying someone that good feeling. So do someone else a favor and ask for help.

6.     Stay away from drama: Drama and gossip are negative energies and will only bring you down. When you are down you feel unmotivated and that can lead to not achieving your goals and feelings of overwhelm. When people are causing drama and/or gossiping kingly excuse yourself and walk away. If you are about to enter a conversation with a coworker or family member that tends to be negative, plan your escape route ahead of time so you don't get sucked in. Don't allow yourself to feel guilty. This is self-care. You are no good to anybody if you are stressed out and overwhelmed.

7.     Schedule regular self-care times: It is vital that you plan regular self-care times. It can be an hour or two a week. Whether you use that time to take a long hot bath or shower, read a book you've been wanting to read, watch a movie, go for a hike in nature, karaoke, anything, but make it part of your weekly schedule and don't skip or put it off. Much like saving money in the bank if you only save what money is "leftover" you'll never save. If you save your self-care time for when you have "extra time" it will never happen. Remember you are not good for anyone else if you're burnt out!!

8.     Reduce caffeine: Caffeine will physically raise your blood pressure and make you feel jittery. I'm talking about excess caffeine like more than two cups of coffee or those high-octane energy drinks. They will also cause you to crash and then you'll feel sluggish and unmotivated. You are better off drinking more water. It naturally gives you energy and you won't crash. 

9.     Have some close friends: Having one or two close friends that you can talk to, helps with stress immensely. Sometimes just bouncing thoughts and ideas off your friends can help clear your mind and make those tuff decisions. They are also an outlet and can be used as a double whammy if you get together for self-care. 

10. Meditation: It has been backed up by science that meditating even just 10 minutes a day can greatly improve your health; physically as well as mentally. I could write a whole book on medication and many have. The main thing I want to impress upon you as far as meditation is that it is a practice. That means it's a skill you develop over time. It is becoming aware of your thoughts and bringing your consciousness to the present moment. There are many apps out there for self-guided meditation which I feel is great especially for beginners. You can choose the amount of time (as little as 1 minute). There is also mindful meditation which is just observing your surroundings. I like to use my senses; what do I see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. This you can do anywhere, anytime. I encourage you to set aside even a minute a day to practice meditation. This step alone will reduce your overwhelm drastically. 


Like my posts? Please follow me on Facebook or Instagram under Recovery Enthusiast. I also have a podcast on Anchor and Spotify under Motivations 4U. I'm also on YouTube; you can follow my journey. And if you really can't get enough of me, you can check out my courses on recoveryenthusiast.com and Mastermind.com

 

As always, stay blessed and live your life Enthusiastically!!

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