We all know those days; you stare at your to do list and you don’t know where to start. You feel anxious about it so you end up binge-watching Netflix the whole day and at the end you feel even more anxious because you didn’t do one of the tasks. This creates a huge feeling of failure. I’ve been there too!

We start to feel overwhelmed when there are too many options and responsibilities. But the truth is, we create this feeling of overwhelm ourselves. We bury ourselves in to-do lists, we want to be socially active all the time, eat healthy and take responsibilities for almost everything these days.

I’ve had moments where I felt overwhelmed in the past few years too so I wanted to give you some tips I’ve learned along the way. With this I hope I can give you the opportunity to incorporate them into your own lifestyle so you know what to do when you feel overwhelmed or anxious the next time.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH

When I felt overwhelmed I blamed myself for feeling that way. The feeling of failure always overruled so that was the only thing I was focused on. Because of that, I couldn’t find the energy and courage to start doing a task from my to-do list. But along the way I’ve learned to remove myself from the situation. It helped me to get a clear view on why I felt overwhelmed and get to a calmer state of mind. So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start, take a deep breath and try to get to the why. Maybe go for a walk or make yourself a cup of tea. It’s important to know where the feeling comes from so you can go to the next step; priorities!

PRIORITIES

Before you can start doing a task it’s important to choose your priorities. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, everything can look like a priority. And when there are to many priorities it’s impossible to get them done. That’s when you end up with the feeling of failure. When you know why you’re feeling overwhelmed and you’ve decluttered your mind, you can take some time to look at your to-do list in a realistic way. Is it really necessary to do all the tasks today? The answer is probably no. Try to pick two or three priorities for that day. When I have a deadline for a collab I set that task as a priority. But cleaning my apartment can easily be moved to the next day.

MAKE A SCHEDULE

After you decided which tasks are your priorities and which aren’t you can make a schedule. You have to be realistic with yourself so don’t plan your day completely full. It’s always possible that unexpected priorities pop up. When you’ve let no room in your planning, you will always end up with the feeling that you’ve failed because you couldn’t finish everything. This is something I’m still working on and it’s definitely not easy. But I know I will get there with a lot of practising! In this blogpost I’ve shared a few tips for my #GIRLBOSS morning routine. Check it out of you want to know a bit more about my habits for a productive and mindful morning.

TAKE ME-TIME

This maybe isn’t the thing you immediately think of when you’re feeling overwhelmed, but for me it’s a really important step! On super busy days I always like to wind down with a good book, podcast or coffee with a friend. I’m also doing a ’10 days meditation challenge’ because I want to incorporate this more in my routine again. The me-time moments are the moments when you can focus on you and not on the tasks waiting for you to be finished. Me-time is also perfect if you want to reflect on your day and how you’re feeling. This doesn’t always have to be a meditation session or anything like that. You can also make yourself your favorite meal or take a warm bath. If you just take a moment in the day where you can focus on you, you will see that you feel less overwhelmed afterwards. And you can start your next day with a decluttered mind.

So when you’re feeling overwhelmed the next time try to remove yourself from the situation and get to the why. Then choose your priorities (not more than three a day), make a realistic schedule and make sure you plan some me-time to wind down and reflect on your day and how you feel. 

I hope these tips are helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions or if you want to talk about this topic.

What do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed?