4 Steps to Start Working When You Feel Overwhelmed

Amanda Abella — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Whenever we're very emotionally charged or in the midst of a healing process it can be hard to find the motivation we need to get things done - not just at your job but in other parts of your life as well. Cleaning the bathroom or doing the laundry may suddenly feel like climbing Mt. Everest. A job you like may suddenly be the biggest pain in your ass. And you can forget about getting any side hustling done.

At the end of the day all you want to do is hide away until these uncomfortable feelings of overwhelm pass. Unfortunately, we can't just stop living our lives and run away to an ashram or some secluded tropical island. We have to face life in the bad times too.

Below you'll find the steps I've taken in recent weeks as I deal with some of my own emotional stuff.

Step One: Take a step back.

If you really feel like you can't function make sure to take a necessary step back. Fully feel whatever is coming up for you without any resistance. It's going to be painful, but facing the truth is much more conducive to healing than resisting your feelings. Like Iyanla Vanzant said in one of her talks (paraphrasing here), "The truth shall set you free, but first you have to go through the labor pains of birthing it."

One you've done that you can really begin to let it go.

Step Two: Find some perspective.

What can you learn from this difficult situation? What are you grateful for? Finding an empowering lesson can help you move on and get your work done.

Step Three: Start with the small stuff.

I was recently emailing back and forth with one of my blogger buddies, Diana Antholis. She's a health and wellness coach and one of my fellow personal development junkies. In the email I was stating how I've been so overwhelmed that's in been difficult to get back on track with my coaching classes, my day job and my side hustle. Diana then gave me some great advice - take it slow.

Take baby steps and start with the small stuff - like answering emails. No need to jump into big projects right away. Soon you'll realize the work isn't as bad as you thought it would be.

Step Four: Rinse and repeat.

Repeat steps one through three as many times as necessary. In many cases one time won't do the trick, you have to continually practice being empowered and positive when you are emotionally charged and overwhelmed. With enough practice you'll start becoming conscious of when you're out of alignment so you can center back in again.

This week we have another round of Vintage GMW. These are the 2011 posts that survived a website crash back in December and made GMW what it is today. Check back periodically as I will be posting the best of the best.

Sometimes life gets in the way...

With everything we always have going on in our lives - work, stress, obligations, duties, responsibilities, appointments, relationships, etc. - it can become very easy to let our emotions get the best of us.

Everyone has bad days at work, ominous deadlines and days where they just feel generally unmotivated and sad. And you can definitely count on life throwing you a few curve balls - after all, that’s what makes it interesting.

We become exhausted, cranky and anxious because we either have too much going on or things just don’t seem to be going our way. This not only hinders our psychological well-being, it also affects our physical health in negative ways.

Yoga has taught me that when this happens the best thing to do is just clothes your eyes and listen to your breath in an effort to immediately start calming the mind. The rest requires somewhat of a mind shift as we learn how to deal on our journey into adulthood.

If you are ever feeling stressed, overwhelmed or generally sad check out some of these great blog posts. I promise they will help lift your spirits and give you a new perspective on life.

10 Happiness Posts That Will Cheer You Up When You Are Overwhelmed

7 Reasons to be Happy Even if Things Aren’t Perfect – Tiny Buddha

10 Ways to Let Go and Overcome a Bad Mood – Tiny Buddha

10 Instant Tips to be Happier Now – CNN

How to Find Authentic Happiness – GoodLife Zen

17 Sure Fire Ways to Lift Your Spirits – GoodLife Zen

7 Tips for Making Yourself Happier in the Next Hour – The Happiness Project

Breathe – Zen Habits

Lessons from an Emotional Breakdown - PluginID

Finding the Elusive Work-Life Balance - Zen Habits

300 Reasons to Be Happy. Things to Love About Your Life NOW - Your Life Your Way

Image via KielerSonne

Grad Meets World » overwhelm

4 Steps to Start Working When You Feel Overwhelmed