Overwhelm is one of the biggest issues I find with a lot of the women I coach. This week alone 3 of my clients have exhibited 3 or more of the following signs that shows that they are overwhelmed and this has led to them feeling exhausted, confused and stuck.
Being overwhelmed is an energy drainer and a life sucker!
It literally makes it difficult to be great at anything and honestly, there really isn’t anything attractive about a burnt out overwhelmed woman!
Sorry! Sounds harsh, but hey this is tough love here!
I have been there, worn the t-shirt MANY times, so I am speaking from FULL experience here.
By recognising the signs that you are overwhelmed early on, you are better equipped to prevent burnout and you can have a better chance at meeting your goals this year with ease and grace.
In today’s post I am sharing 10 signs that may suggest that you are overwhelmed with life and also some proven strategies you can implement that will help re-energize you, reduce the effects of you feeling overwhelmed, and get you UNSTUCK to get back into your healthy and balanced self.
# 1 – Your Sleep is out of WHACK!
The classic sign of being overwhelmed is when your sleep pattern goes out of whack. This is often because the mind is on overdrive and finding it difficult to regulate itself back into a normal stable and settled pattern. So you may find yourself not sleeping enough or sleeping too much.
One of the best ways to tackle this issue is by establishing a good relaxing nighttime routine that can include a practice of relaxation exercises before bed. Meditation, soothing music, or soundtracks of the ocean, rain or nature can induce better quality sleep. I use a fantastic app called Insight Timer, which has thousands of meditations and practices to help your overall well being.
# 2 – You Are Always Tired, No Matter How Much Sleep You Get
When overwhelmed, your mind does not stop thinking, worrying, planning and re-planning! Your mind wants everything to be perfect and yet it is always failing at making everything perfect. This causes exhaustion- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and energetically. This fatigue may persist even after you have gotten some sleep.
Overcome this by going inward, eat healthy foods that give you energy, exercise at least 3 times a week for about 15mins and regularly take time out in nature and outdoors.
# 3 – You Lack Energy
You may feel a lack of energy when overwhelmed, and generally more fatigued each day. When this happens break your day into spontaneous enjoyable activity. Yes, that may mean taking a power nap at 2:37pm if you have to for 10mins! It may mean switching on the TV and watching some reality TV trash. It could be eating your favourite snack or food. This is simply to give the brain a break and reward it with something nice that will help it produce those good feeling hormones like Dopamine. When you feel good you generally tend to feel more energetic too.
# 4 – You Are High-Strung / Anxious
You may be feeling high-strung or anxious most of the time, with the inability to calm down or relax. This is the overthinking syndrome at play and an all-time classic sign of being overwhelmed! Again, as mentioned before, take little breaks throughout your day to help ease your nerves. Limit or avoid caffeine, alcohol or excessive sugary things.
# 5 – You Are Stressed Out
When you are overwhelmed, you may notice your stress levels increasing. And things that may have once seemed minor may be leading to stress. When you burst into uncontrollable tears because you can’t find your pen or you yell at your 4 year old for playing hide and seek with her favourite teddies… Erm, you are more than likely a tethering stress ball about to exploded. Being overwhelmed can place strain and disconnection in our relationships too. If you notice this, at work, you can speak with your manager to ask for additional time to work on or to complete tasks that have been stressing you out. In your personal life, you can tell your friends and family members what you need to reduce your load.
Break large tasks down into small ones, and focus on completing the small ones (one at a time) instead.
# 6 – You Have a Loss of Appetite or You Are Overeating
You may notice a change in your appetite, either under-eating or over-eating when you are overwhelmed. Try establishing an eating routine, by eating at regular times each day, and sticking to that. Your brain will learn to follow this new routine. I use a great habit forming app called Fabulous which helps with staying consistent with new routines and habits.
# 7 – You Have Difficulty Focusing
Because you’re overwhelmed and stressed out, this may lead to difficulty focusing. The dreaded sign of being overwhelmed is when you mutli-task and try to do everything at once without really doing anything at all!
If this is you, try all or any of these things below:
• Break down large tasks into smaller ones
• Establish a plan of action and write your plan down. When things are written down, they can become easier to follow
• Make lists and check off completed items as you go
• Take little breaks throughout your day to refuel, and refocus the brain
• Do things one by one before moving on to the next.
# 8 – You are less motivated
You may feel less motivated to do things, and start to procrastinate when you feel overwhelmed, For me personally, this is a sure sign that I am overwhelmed! I procrastinate and my brain literally presses the pause button on everything that is important to do! Of course this means that I fall behind on tasks, miss deadlines and get even more overwhelmed. If you have a never-ending To-Do list, and you just can’t seem to find the motivation to get any of them done, you my friend are exhibiting a sign of overwhelm.
Use the strategise in #7 to help you if this is what you experience too.
# 9 – You’re becoming anti-social
You may notice you are becoming more withdrawn and spending less time with others, because you feel that being around others feels like too much effort or a chore.
It’s okay to take some time for yourself, however try to also take this time to improve your well-being by doing activities you enjoy, such as reading a book, watching a movie, etc and slowly when you feel able and willing to, start to bring others back into the picture and pick up your social life again.
# 10 – You Are Moody / Emotional
You may feel more emotional than usual and moody. You may feel on edge emotionally, less patient, and lash out at others easily. This is where having a community, a support system or someone you can confide in like a coach helps. Coaching or counselling can also be good sources to go to get professional help especially where the emotions are overbearing or difficult to process of manage on your own. If you feel you may benefit from coaching, you can book a coaching session with me.
I hope these tips have been helpful.
Which ones resonated with you? What improvements from today’s posts can you implement?
Share them below.
Most importantly always remember that you are not alone and seek help whenever you feel you need to. There is no need to suffer in silence.
Share this with your friends and loved ones!
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