Feeling overwhelmed is a very natural reaction. The sensation of being overwhelmed could be the result of a combination of factors. To be honest, it is not an uncommon feeling nowadays. Life is competitive; everyone is in the race towards success. So if you at times feel like everything is just coming to a peak and there is no way out, it is totally acceptable.
Feeling overwhelmed can be quite similar to fear. Not being a pleasant sensation, people are likely to shy away from such situations. This may delay whatever crisis you are expecting but eventually, things will come to a head again. Your only way out is actually through it.
So how do you overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed?
Why do we feel overwhelmed?
One of the first steps to solving a problem is to find the cause of it. So if you want to overcome overwhelm, then we need to determine why this feeling occurs. To state it quite simply, an overwhelming sensation usually occurs when we are out of our comfort zones.
This entire comfort zone dilemma has been discussed for ages. We all know the advice of breaking through it to achieve more in life. Well, you can find your way out but it is not easy. So one of the consequences of being out of your comfort zone is this restricting sensation; where you may believe too much is on the line but you are unable to resolve anything.
The solution will not come from retreating back into your comfort zone.
Recognising the Feeling as a Positive Element
Next time you feel overwhelmed, you need to get steadfast. You must acknowledge that the experience will yield the learning you seek by coming out of your comfort zone. While staying inside the comfort zone, we may feel safe and fearless, we also become static. Our brains will have no stimulating experiences. Therefore, we are actually limiting our growth as a person.
Overwhelm means that you have come across a situation most likely never faced before, but beyond that sensation is a milestone. Once you make it, you have gained more intellect; added value to your personality.
What do you need to do?
Regardless how anxious you feel, all it needs is baby steps to overcome overwhelm. From personal experience, overwhelm can make us falsely fall into the pit of negative thinking. For example, self-doubts. You will just keep adding more pressure instead of analyzing the situating.
Overwhelm is often caused in situations where you feel incapable of handling too much at once. Think of it like a problem. All you need is to find the solution stepwise. Instead of running away; finding an exit point, deal with it head on. Take the first step. Figure out what you can manage as you begin working your way through the problem.
Eventually, one thing will lead to another. It is like having a string with complicated knots. You untie a few and the string unravels.
A little determination and you will make through.
We’ll speak soon,
Dan
