Episode 5-8 Ways to Obliterate Overwhelm

8 WAYS TO OBLITERATE OVERWHELM

Let’s make sure you are in control of “overwhelm” because it is only a feeling. It might feel like it’s the end of the world, but I promise you, it’s only in your head… it’s not real unless you make it real.

Does any of this describe some of the feelings you have experienced when you felt overwhelmed?

Clenched stomach with a sinking feeling of dread
Not wanting to get out of bed to face (yet) another day
Going to bed and pulling the covers over your head
Stuffing your face with your favorite junk food (ice cream, whole bar of chocolate, whole bag of chips)
Paralyzed and unable to stop racing thoughts of how you can run away
Feeling like you were in a super thick patch of quicksand slowly watching yourself go under
Feeling like you’re suffocating and unable to breathe

These are just some of the feelings I’ve experienced personally, and those that friends, family and clients have expressed feeling as well.

What is this mysterious overwhelm anyway?

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines overwhelm as:

to cause (someone) to have too many things to deal with.

Such a short description for a word that causes such intense feelings of physical, mental and emotional discomfort and pain. My goal is to simplify the feeling of “overwhelm” for you, and to match the short and simple definition of this crazy word that can feel so ominous, overpowering and create such agony in your life.

Is the task just too big or does it ONLY seem that way because there is no plan

In the past, if I had a big task to accomplish, one which seemed to be overflowing with lots of moving parts, I would feel completely overwhelmed. Especially if I didn’t have a written plan, if it was something out of my comfort zone, if I had procrastinated or if I didn’t have a good working knowledge of the work required for me to complete the task – lack of clarity.

That is called fear. Fear of the unknown. And that is one of the most massive triggers of overwhelm for us all.

My mind quickly went to, who can help me? I would feel frozen and paralyzed with panic and overwhelm. I always thought, maybe somebody else would be better at this than me and my mind would rush over all my likely victims I could shove some of the work onto and get it off my plate I was looking for ANYTHING that would cure it and get me back to the safety of my comfort zone.

So I came up with a solution, a magical elixir- one that will work for you, just as it does for me! And believe me, it’s not anything you haven’t heard before – but, it is something that you need to put into practice to avoid the overwhelm monster.

The MAGIC Antidote to the Overwhelm Monster

Here’s the magic elixir. When I neglect to take my own advice (my elixir), the overwhelm monster tosses me into its bag, throws it over his shoulder and carries me away kicking and.

In life, in business, and in relationships- overwhelm happens when these elements are missing or are present:

  • Boundaries haven’t been set (you don’t know when to say no, even to yourself)
  • A realistic and attainable time frame to accomplish a task hasn’t been set
  • A situation is thrust upon you without any prior notice, could be from an authority in your life, sudden death of a loved one,
  • When you don’t have a clear strategy and timeline for accomplishing what needs to get done.

My magic elixir 

Keep this in mind so you can obliterate overwhelm and the overwhelm monster.

  1. Number One Asset – Know and nurture your number one asset -YOU! It is highly discouraging when I ask people what their number one asset is and I get these long pauses as they think about all their physical possessions. The answer is easy. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of anyone, or anything else?
  2. Know your limitations and set boundaries – Don’t take on more than you can handle and be firm about your decision.We live in a very busy time. Everybody is overloaded and busy. People are not really mean-spirited but they will pass anything off they can and if you are there to catch it, this means adding to what may be your already overflowing basket.3. Learn to say NO – This sounds like such a simple thing but if you’re anything like me, it is probably one of the hardest items on this list! This advice may not help you when you are in that tornado of overwhelm, but it may very well be the reason you are in that position in the first place.Sooooo many of us, especially if you are a woman, are people pleasers and we want to be helpful. So we’ll say yes to helping at the church bazaar, baking cookies for the girl scout party, even if we already are feeling stressed about our own commitments and don’t have time.
  3. Ask for help and then… allow the help. Some people think that it is a sign of weakness if they ask for help. It is a sign of strength when you know your limitations and your ability to accomplish tasks
  4. Write out everything you have to do on a piece of paper so you can SEE it. This is an important key to obliterating overwhelm. Because once it’s out of your head and on to a piece of paper, it doesn’t look so scary. But, do it using tip number 5.
  5. Bite-size pieces – break it down so that whatever you’re facing doesn’t look so massive and difficult to do.
  6. Do the most difficult thing first and get it off the list – the more quickly you get the things off your list that are the most unpleasant to you, and get them checked off the list (with a BIG checkmark!), the better you’re going to feel.Extra bonus for you here. Remember this statement and apply it diligently to all facets of your life, but especially when it comes to getting things done so you don’t face overwhelm:

“The speed of implementation is your fastest way to success! Over-thinking and procrastination will lead you directly into the fangs of the overwhelm monster”

8. Do one thing at a time and don’t allow yourself to get distracted by anything else, especially another one of the tasks on your list of things to do.

The overwhelm monster will always be lurking, but you are in control. Remember this – you do not have to allow it into your life. This is how you can avoid those feelings of being out of control, terror, and overwhelm.

Empower yourself so that you are in the driver’s seat of your own life and overwhelm will dissipate and never have the advantage over you again.

Do your best to put into practice some or all of these tips and knock the overwhelm monster on its arse!

Thank you for listening!!! I hope these tips work for you the way they work for me – when I put them into practice! 

Website: LynnieMotivates.com

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