Overwhelm can be paralyzing, stressful, and frustrating. But there is one question that can reduce overwhelm immediately.
Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash
There’s so much going on around us 24/7. Everyone and everything is competing for our attention and our time, whether it’s our job, family and friends, our smart devices, the news, or a sudden unexpected situation that throws us off our game.
Perhaps it’s the 257 unread emails in your inbox, the 16 open tabs on your browser, or the dozen meetings this week that could have been an email. A constant stream of information that keeps piling up faster than you can process it. Add to the equation the limited amount of time we have available each day, and as a result, you’ll have the perfect conditions for overwhelm.
But there’s one simple question to get your head back into the game and take back control: What can I do with what I have?
Health Effects of Prolonged Stress and Overwhelm
It’s important to gain that sense of control, not just to be able to carry on with your tasks, but also because prolonged stress can have serious effects on your health and wellbeing.
The increased stress levels put the body in a fight or flight mode. The heightened alert mode can result in various symptoms, such as emotional, physical, and cognitive symptoms.
Some of these include but are not limited to the following:
- Forgetfulness, confusion, lack of focus or difficulty concentrating, and racing thoughts
- Struggle to problem-solve, increased negative emotions and thoughts, and worrying
- Low energy, head- or stomachaches
- Changed sleeping patterns, such as sleeping too much or having difficulties getting proper sleep
- Withdrawing from social life and activities you used to enjoy
Long-lasting overwhelm and stress can lead to more severe issues, such as mental health conditions like depression or anxiety disorder. These can also make it harder to regulate emotions and lower one’s resilience. [Newport Institute]
Emotional regulation means being able to feel what you are feeling but not reacting to every emotion. For example, when you’re overwhelmed, you might be more triggered to lash out because of small things or get irritated more easily, affecting the people around you.
Resilience is the ability to manage difficult situations and bounce back from them. While being overwhelmed, this ability decreases because of the limited resources we have available.
Being able to snap out of the state of overwhelm and back into the driver’s seat is key in preventing prolonged stress and overwhelm.
One Question to Reduce Overwhelm
I see a lot of people dealing with overwhelm in my career and personal life. Heck, I have been there too! So, don’t worry, if this is something you struggle with too. You’re not alone.
The key is to remember this one simple question:
What can I do with what I have?
When you feel overwhelmed the next time, take a deep breath and ask yourself this question. Soon, you’ll notice things shifting and slowly gaining control over the situation again.
You might wonder, how this one question could possibly have any effect on your situation? Well, let me explain.
This question immediately sets your brain into a problem-solving state. Our brains are designed to solve problems, so shifting the focus on what we can do, helps us to gain clarity and control over the otherwise chaotic situation.
As human beings, we need to have a sense of control and autonomy. So, this will already switch off some of the blaring alarms in our head.
And since we are not as good at multitasking as we would like to believe, this redirected focus takes away the resources from worrying over things that are out of our control and that are causing frustration and anxiety.
These all help us to get out of the survival mode and improve our ability to regulate our emotional state and gain resilience. Focusing on the things in our control helps to fight the various symptoms of stress and overwhelm. So, it becomes easier to operate and take action ín the right direction.
And that’s not all! This question helps to shift our mindset. It enables us to focus on what we have, instead of what we lack. This is crucial, since it opens doors instead of slamming them in our face. It makes us more optimistic about our situation and future, enabling us to explore options that we might not even notice when only focusing on the things we are missing in life.
So, next time you start to feel overwhelmed, remember this simple question and gain your control back.
P.S. If you know someone in your network is overwhelmed, feel free to share this post with them.
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