Overwhelm is a FEELING
Caused by a THOUGHT
You might have been surprised to learn that it’s NOT caused by
Your mile-long to-do list
Your increasing responsibilities at work (or at home)
Or any other THING
It’s your thoughts ABOUT those things that create the feeling of overwhelm
But there are some common themes that may trigger thoughts that lead to overwhelm
For example, when we don’t manage our energy, manage our time, or manage our minds
We don’t manage our energy when …
We focus on others needs at the expense of our own
So we run on empty
We fail to set healthy boundaries
Or fail to enforce them
Because we “can’t” say NO
Or choose not to
We don’t manage our time when …
We over-schedule
Or don’t schedule at all
We overestimate what we can get done in a day or week
Or we plan our schedule and then don’t keep our commitment to ourselves
And instead choose to spend time on low-value activities, like
Too much Facebook
… Instagram
… Netflix
We consistently focus on the urgent at the expense of the important
Or we let other’s requests stop us from doing what we planned to do
We don’t manage our minds when …
We multitask instead of focus
We get caught up in thought loops
➡️ I can’t get it all done ➡️ Overwhelm ➡️ Inaction ➡️ I don’t get it all done ➡️
We get derailed by unmade decisions and open loops
Which are prime triggers for thoughts that lead to overwhelm
And the more we feel overwhelm, the more likely it becomes HABITUAL
It becomes our go-to emotion when things aren’t going perfectly
But habits are LEARNED
Which means they can be UNLEARNED
In the next post we’ll dig into TOOLS and STRATEGIES
To overcome overwhelm
So you can finally start enjoying the life you’ve worked so hard to create
Here’s to overcoming overwhelm,