Feeling Overwhelmed? 😵‍💫 Try This

I don't want to brag, but it's finally warm enough here in Maine to sit outside while I type this.

Yes I'm wearing a sweatshirt, but baby steps...baby steps..

If you're reading this right now, chances are you relate to the feeling of overwhelm somewhere in your life. Or, you read all of my emails no matter what, and if that's the case, thank you 🙂

I could give you a list of all of the things I currently feel overwhelmed about, but you probably have your own list and I don't want to stress you out more.

The thing is, overwhelm usually feels like a problem brought on by the things currently going on in our lives; busy schedules, increasing work and life demands; most of us could make a list of what is making us feel overwhelmed.

But what if...hear me out...it's not our schedule or our tasks that are stressing us out, but the way we are thinking about those things. 🤯

Your brain gets stuck in a version of analysis paralysis. You don't know where to start.

What you're really looking for is a next step.

Taking an action - any kind of action - is movement. (And action breeds motivation, not the other way around). Which is why I'm a big fan of using a 10 minute timer when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I choose a task - whichever task feels most doable in the moment - and I set a timer for 10 minutes. The only rule is that I can do one of two things during those 10 minutes; I either do the task (start cleaning off my desk), or do nothing (pet my dogs and stare into space).

I don't check email, I don't respond to text messages. I either do the task or do nothing.

If I'm having trouble choosing a task to focus on, I use my 10 minute timer to do a brain dump. Our brains aren't meant for storing information, so getting all of those messy thoughts out onto paper can be really helpful.

And I usually find something in that brain dump that feels doable. Depending on how I'm feeling, it might be the lowest hanging fruit. What you do doesn't matter.

It matters that you do.