How Mindfulness Can Help Reduce Overwhelm
Feeling overwhelmed can have many causes. Often, we experience overwhelm when we “have too much to do.”
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To counter the problem of too many things to do we can use clear communication with others about what we can and can not do. In speaking up for ourselves, we set a type of boundary. In setting boundaries, we can create more space and time for ourself so we can focus our attention and energy on what we’re doing rather than on dealing with juggling a myriad of tasks and people.
By consciously addressing issues of overwhelm we can reduce our stress, create stronger relationships with others, and be more effective at what we’re doing (be that for work or home life).
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Overwhelm can also occur for reasons other than having too much to do. Here are four common causes of overwhelm:
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Fear of things going wrong or not how we want them to go
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Fear of uncertainty
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Not knowing all the answers for problems immediately upon finding a problem
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A racing mind that feels cluttered with thoughts
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Here are some mindfulness strategies you can use to address feelings of overwhelm.
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First, be kind with yourself. You feeling overwhelmed does not mean there is anything wrong with you. It just means things have built up. You likely have some feelings going on. Feel your feelings, knowing they will pass.
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Second, don’t try to force yourself to feel or experience something different. Instead, choose to honor your experience. By wanting to jump right from feeling bad to feeling good, you risk not giving your attention to your deeper experience. By giving your loving attention to your deeper experience you begin to make the big feelings no big deal, making it easier and easier for you to quickly transition out of overwhelm and into responsible action from a center place.
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Also, bring yourself into the present moment through a mindfulness practice. Some examples you could try on are a short meditation, a body-scan in which you feel the sensations in your body and name them, doing a breath-work practice, going for a walk and getting some fresh air, or putting your feet in the grass. Really, any practice which supports you being with what’s actually happening right now in your inner experience, and not in your head or a story about what’s happening, will support you countering feelings of overwhelm.
