How to Deal with Feeling Overwhelmed Reducing Quickly

Learning to deal with feeling overwhelmed is an essential part of an empath’s tool kit.

The secret to reducing overwhelm is to notice it quickly. Many empathic patients have come to me saying, “I’ve felt overwhelmed for years.” They live in a persistent, uncomfortable state of sensory overload or else have become exhausted, burned out, or sick. Happily, you don’t have to let this experience get the best of you.

Each day, treat yourself with kindness. If too much is coming at you too fast, make time to decrease stimulation. Notice when you first start feeling overwhelmed. Did a colleague or family member ask too much of you? Did you overcommit yourself?

Most importantly, catch the feeling as fast as you can before it gathers momentum. Then take at least a few minutes to unplug from stimulation. I often retreat to a room without sound or bright light. I rest or meditate to recalibrate myself to a more balanced state. You can use these strategies too.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, or if your thoughts are scattered, practice this visualization thriving as an Empath: 365 Days of Self-Care for Sensitive People to center yourself:

Red Rock Canyon Visualization

Take a few deep breaths. Relax your body. If thoughts intrude, keep breathing deeply and let them float by like clouds in the sky. Do not attach to them. Let the rhythm of your breathing help you completely settle into your body.

Picture yourself walking in a huge, majestic, red rock canyon filled with all shapes and sizes of noble stones and boulders. Some are thousands of years old, strong, wise, and omnipresent. It’s a beautiful day with the perfect temperature, just right for you to wander around this enchanted place. Notice which rock formations you are drawn to.

Then place your palms or your entire body on them. Feel their strength and let them ground you. You can sit on a boulder, too, to feel its stability, warmth, and sustenance.

Let the grounding life force of this canyon and all its natural stone formations bring you back to center and in touch with your highest, clearest self.

Set your intention.

To prevent or decrease overwhelm, I will plan short or longer periods to reduce external stimulation. I will visualize the red rock canyon of wonder when I want to ground myself. I can go there whenever I like. It is always welcoming my return.

How to handle overwhelm

1. Make a list

Write down all of the things you do and are responsible for. Make lists for as many areas of life that you need such as at home, work, family, social, relationship and personal life.

‘Why am I doing this?’

For each item on your list, ask yourself why you do it. All the ones that you enjoy and motivate you should stay on the list. However, the ones you do because you didn’t want to say no, or make you feel bad, will drain your energy.

It’s time to get rid of the tasks that don’t bring you joy. Where possible, see how many of these ‘energy-draining activities’ you can just stop doing. For example, do you need to bake that cake for your community fete if it doesn’t bring you joy?

There are some tasks that you won’t enjoy doing, but you still have to do them. However, you can still use them to your advantage and gain back control. For example, if you’re doing something you don’t want to do at work, can you make a trade-off with another activity or swap with a colleague? Perhaps you can say; ‘because I am doing x, I don’t feel it’s fair I should do y too’.

For this to be an effective negotiation, plan and keep it clear in your mind what you want to achieve and what will be a successful outcome. Think about the areas you are happy to compromise on so that you come out of the negotiation in a better place.

People are often afraid to delegate because another person won’t do the task as well as you. However, with a delegation, you shouldn’t be looking for someone to exceed what you do, but that does it satisfactorily. If there are any tasks still left on your list that don’t make you happy, or you cannot use are a bargaining tool, then these are the ones to consider delegating.

For example, if cleaning your home takes up a whole day of your precious weekend, consider the value of your time compared to the cost of hiring a cleaner. At work, give more responsibility to your junior or assistant. They’ll appreciate the extra responsibility, and while they may not complete the job as well as you, they can learn, and it can save you time in the long run.

You need to take time to stop and take a break if you feel you are endlessly rushing from one thing to the next. Our creativity works best when we take a break and think about something else. With overwhelming, it can be difficult to see the wood for the trees and to come up with the best solutions to problems you face. Let yourself stop each day and do something completely mindless, even if it is only for five minutes at a time. Your brain will thank you for its chance to switch off.