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How To Stop Feeling Overwhelmed (For Good)
Simplify
Being overwhelmed goes hand in hand with having a mind full of complicated thoughts and chaos. David Allen reminds us, "Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them."
Are you willing to make your life simpler? Are you willing to make your mind simple, and approach the things in your life with a sense of simplicity?
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
Start with a clean plate
If your plate were completely clean, with limited space, what would you put on it today?
Once you’ve figured that out, you know what belongs on your plate. Constantly loo...
Learn to say “NO”
Feeling like you’re doing busywork is often the result of saying yes too often. We have to let go of this idea of doing everything and pleasing everyone and being everywhere at once.
Properly manage your yeses. So stop saying “yes” when you want to say “no.” Sometimes you have to set clear boundaries.
3 Core things
Focus on no more than three core things every day.
Wake up every morning and figure out what the most important two or three things are for the day, and cut out the rest. Give each some allotted time instead of switching tasks.
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Key Ideas
When you’re feeling overwhelmed
You have so many things going on, that it is hard to concentrate on any one of them, and so you get less productive. The trick is to get yourself back in the sweet spot of the curve where yo...
Reduce your energy
If you’re actively feeling overwhelmed you first need to calm down. Close your eyes for a minute. Focus on breathing deeply. Count your breaths. An alternative is to get a little physical exercise. Take a walk.
The combination of the exercise and the separation from your workspace for a short period of time can help you to get into the zone to get work done.
Focus
Start by finding a high-priority task that you feel you can complete in a short period of time. Clear the decks for action and put away any other distractions.
Now, get to work. If you’re still having trouble concentrating, then just try to get a 5-10 minute burst of activity done. Find the smallest piece of the task that you can accomplish and get that done.
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Key Ideas
The Compassion Collapse
We all see suffering around us, whether it is the inhumane treatment of migrants or minority groups, or any depressing news of diseases, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed.
As the number o...
Just Sympathy is Useless
Tragic stories and imagery make us sympathetic and wanting to help.
But a recent study reveals that the feeling of sympathy is not proportional to the help given by the person. A desire to help, or to contribute is more valuable for any tangible or fruitful result.
Feelings of sympathy do not necessarily lead to any action to end the suffering - they may cause a feeling of helplessness.
First-hand Knowledge
When people have the first-hand experience of pain and suffering, the desire to help arises from deep within, as they know the intricate details, and are motivated to help others who are in peril. This is called the Altruism born of suffering.
People who haven't experienced similar hardships themselves will find it hard to relate to others suffering. However, the desire to help can be invoked by showing them the effectiveness of the method, as well as the larger picture.