Everyone will encounter stress in life. Sometimes, this stress is entirely justified, and it’s all about how you respond to it. However, people will also experience unnecessary stress that can make them feel overwhelmed and affect their mental wellbeing, performance, and even relationships with those they love. Feeling overwhelmed is never a pleasant experience, and if you encounter this regularly, you need to identify ways to overcome it. Here are four steps you can use the next time it occurs.
Identify The Trigger
You cannot start to battle feelings of being overwhelmed without understanding your triggers. Many triggers can affect people, ranging from too much work to too much noise or even working with someone you do not get on with. Once you recognize your triggers, you can consider ways to avoid stress spikes. From here, you can look for ways to avoid the triggers, but if this isn’t possible – especially in professional settings – you can work out how to cope with them.
Stop and Step Away
There is no use in doing anything if you are stressed and overwhelmed. You are not thinking straight, leading to severe mistakes that put you and others in danger. If possible, you should stop what you’re doing and step away to remove yourself from the situation. There are breathing exercises that you can use to reduce stress, which can help clear your head and make it easier to think and consider your next move.
Ask Yourself If You Can Solve the Problem Now
Some problems are easily overcome, others are not. If you encounter an issue, you should ask whether you’re able to solve it right now. Things like situational stress are easier to solve than financial stress, which can take time and a plan. If you’re able to solve the problem right now, go ahead and do it. However, if you cannot solve the issue in the immediate moment, don’t worry about it too much. As challenging as this approach is, especially for those who experience severe stress and anxiety, it will at least allow you to think clearly at the moment and conceptualize the issue.
Get Help From Friends (Or Strangers)
You don’t need to deal with these issues alone. Friends, family, and even professional services are available to make problems more manageable. Those experiencing financial stress can compare credit and improve their standing with lenders and other financial institutions. People that feel stressed and overwhelmed in busy environments can get support from their partner, parents, siblings, or friends. Everyone looks for support differently, so work out what approach works best for you, and don’t feel embarrassed about discussing these issues with those closest to you, as they will always be happy to help.
Overcome
You might never truly escape those awful feelings of being overwhelmed. However, this doesn’t mean you cannot find useful and effective ways to manage these feelings. If you can take strong steps and understand how you can manage your stress, you won’t feel at the mercy of your emotions anymore.
This is a collaborative post.
Melinda
lookingforthelight.blog 
I had a health scare in January, and find myself in a similar situation. One day at a time 😊
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Yes, it is.
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Thank you for sharing! I would imagine we all have days where we need to hear this. Something about getting “permission” to back away and take a breath makes caring for ourselves feel just a bit easier 😊 Have a great day!
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I certainly have my share! Self care is very important for me or else I get too stresses out.
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Same here!! I’d love to say I do it as often as I should, but I am a human, so I am a work in progress 😊 But there is so very much truth to the adage that we can’t truly care for someone else until we’re steady. I always think of the flight attendant’s instruction to put our own oxygen mask on before helping our neighbor. I feel like, as a society, we stopped prioritizing our mental/emotional/spiritual health long ago, and while the shift may be slow moving and subtle at times, I’m so happy to see these conversations happening more frequently. We talk a lot about physical and financial stability, but I would consider emotional stability to be the foundation for all of it.
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I learned to start putting my mental health first after I got so sick over 10 yers ago. After I started to get better I realized that in order to truly heal and be whole I had to take it more serious. I can take it to the extreme sometimes but I feel better than ever. You can do things more for yourself when you don’t have children or other taxing responsibilities like working. I’m very fortunate I don’t have to work. My granny’s health got bad and I started taking care of her, then my gramps got sick so I started taking care of him, then I got so sick so I never one back to work. I don’t think I could hold a job, not even working a half a day now. I’m so fortunate my husband understands and makes a good living. We adjusted our living and live comfortable without the extra income. Work on yourself and you will see the difference. Try something small every day. Just a simple five minutes enjoying a candle can lift your spirits. Take care and thanks os much for commenting and reading.
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