Many people can probably relate to the fact that life can be crazy sometimes. When managing our time at work, our time with family, time with friends, and everything in between, it can feel like the list of things to do and places to go is just completely overwhelming. If you can relate to this, be sure to recognize that you are not alone by any stretch of the imagination. People all around the world constantly struggle with feeling overwhelmed. This can be extremely tough when the feelings of stress and anxiety from feeling overwhelmed begin to build up, and the pace of life can feel impossible to catch up to. For those struggling with these or related feelings, continue reading for a comprehensive give on strategies to help you cope with feeling overwhelmed.

STRATEGY 1: IDENTIFY YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The first strategy to help with feeling overwhelmed is to identify your environment. With so many things happening at once, it can be difficult to distill what is going on that is causing these feelings. Start by writing down how you are feeling and the things that you think are stressing you out the most. This can help you not only get in touch with your feelings, but it can also help you identify any patterns in your stressors.

Additionally, be cognizant of whether you are in a particularly stressful period of life. People commonly refer to these as stress “seasons.” Maybe you just welcomed a new baby into the family or perhaps you are in the process of moving. By recognizing that you are in hectic times of life, it can help you to understand that while you may be feeling overwhelmed now, this will by no means last forever.

STRATEGY 2: ORIENT YOUR MINDSET

The second strategy to help with feeling overwhelmed is to orient your mindset in order to use your energy productively. First off, understand that you can only control what you can control. Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us here and there, so recognizing that you are managing what is in your control can be extremely freeing. In addition, do not underestimate the value of positive reinforcement in your self-talk. When you can focus on the things you are doing right, rather than the things you are falling short on, you can gain more confidence and feel in greater control despite feeling overwhelmed.

STRATEGY 3: STAY ORGANIZED

The third strategy to help with feeling overwhelmed is to stay organized. This may seem like an obvious one, but it is incredibly important, especially when you have a million things going on and can easily forget things here and there! To-do lists are a must, and you can go one step further by prioritizing your items based on urgent versus not urgent. You can also employ things like family calendars to help keep your partner and children organized on a day-to-day basis.

STRATEGY 4: RE-PRIORITIZE

The fourth strategy to help with feeling overwhelmed is to re-prioritize. This is, of course, much easier said than done, as it is easy to feel guilty sometimes for putting ourselves first. But this is extremely important to help our mental health. Here are some ways you can re-prioritize:

• Be willing to say “no”
• Carve out time to exercise
• Do things that you enjoy in your free time
• Prioritize sleep time

When you rework your schedule to preserve time for yourself, it can make managing the chaos around you a million times easier!