Keep From Sinking When You’re Overwhelmed

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can find my full disclosure page here.

Are you overwhelmed? It’s a feeling I know too well. Too many things on the to-do list and not enough hours in the day to get them all checked off.

But sometimes, that overwhelmed feeling gets the best of us. It paralyzes us, so that we end up accomplishing nothing because we’re so busy thinking about everything we have to do.

Sinking doesn’t help solve the problem, and it actually can make plenty of them worse. If things are bad now, just imagine how they’ll be when you add some hungry kids and annoyed clients into the mix.

So it’s essential to keep your head above water. But when you’re so overwhelmed you don’t even know where to begin, what do you do?

Here’s how I handle that sinking feeling.

1. Take a Few Moments

Fresh air revitalizes me and helps me feel more sane. When I first feel the pressure of overwhelm, I get the kids occupied with a safe activity and head outside.

I usually head to the barn and pet a bunny or give the cows some extra hay. Just being around the animals, in the relative quiet space, helps me think more clearly. I’m able to pray for guidance and that helps tremendously.

You might not get refreshed being outside. What helps clear your head? Do that for five to ten minutes, and then head back to work, with a better frame of mind.

2. Make a List

Once I get back to my desk, I make a list of everything I feel like I have to get done today. I include everything. That means:

• Any meals that need cooked
• Chores that need done
• Homeschooling we haven’t yet completed
• Assignments or reading for my college class
• Client work
• Any work for my three blogs (photo taking, photo editing, writing)
• Marketing I’d like to do

It’s usually a pretty long list.

But the act of getting it out on paper really helps my brain to feel a little better. I can see it, and once you can see a list, you can better take action.

3. Delegate

I look over my list, and think about any tasks I can delegate. For instance, I can have my kids tackle a meal or ask my husband to help with extra chores.

I can often find a task for my blogs that my kids can do, and they are always willing to help.

Once I delegate the task, I cross it off my list. It’s no longer “my” responsibility.

That helps a lot!

4. Prioritize

Then I look over my list. There’s always items that are more important than others.

When I’m prioritizing, I try to think through worst case scenarios. What will happen if I don’t do a particular task today?

My thinking goes something like this:

 

• Any meals that need cooked
• Chores that need done
• Homeschooling we haven’t yet completed

We homeschool four days a week. I can have the kids do their independent things today, and we can bump the rest to Friday if necessary. Or I can have my husband tackle it when we get home.

• Assignments or reading for my college class

Is this assignment actually due today? Do I really need to read the book (which is almost always NO.)

What will it do to my grade if I put in only half the effort? Is it essential for me to keep my 4.0 GPA, or is a 3.7 good enough (this one is a pride issue I struggle with a lot!)

• Client work

What’s the actual deadline? How much time is this task going to take? Are there any parts I can delegate?

• Any work for my three blogs (photo taking, photo editing, writing)

Do I have any posts in reserve I could use instead? Could I wait to do this in the evening? Will it be the end of the world if I publish a day late?

• Marketing I’d like to do

Um…yeah, I should do it, but honestly this can probably just be completely scrapped for today.

5. Remake My List

Now that I’ve thought through my list, I can rewrite it, focusing in on what’s actually absolutely essential for today. The rest, I leave off.

It’s amazing how seeing a smaller list can help with the overwhelmed feeling.

6. Start Working

If I spend all day trying to figure out what I actually have to do, the day will be gone before I do anything. So planning can’t last forever. It typically takes me 10-20 minutes to get through steps 2-5 above.

Now, it’s time to actually work.

I find I work best under pressure when I do short bursts. That means I start working on my top priority for the day, and work for 20 minutes or so. It’s a long enough time to get a great start, and short enough that I don’t stress myself out.

So I’ll get the kids working on something, set the timer, and get to work.

7. Take a Break

After my time is up, I stand up and connect with the kids. We might take a quick walk, or have a handful of chocolate chips and raisins.

Then we begin again.

I either continue working on the same task, or move onto the next one, depending on how much I tackled.

8. Repeat 7 & 8

For the rest of the day, we’ll put steps 7 and 8 on repeat. I’ll get the kids busy–either cooking, cleaning, schooling, free time, or organized play–and then jump into my task.

It’s amazing how much you can get done in 20 focused minutes!

9. Reevaluate

I typically reevaluate my progress at quiet time and mealtimes. That way I know what to focus on during my next work period.

Whenever you have a natural break, take time to look over your progress. Do you need to shift your priorities?

10. Remember to Breathe!

No matter how panicked I feel about the amount of work I have to do, it’s imperative to breathe. Take a few moments to breathe deeply.

Then, whenever you feel that pressure coming on again, focus on you breathing for a few more moments. It’s usually enough to calm a racing heart, and give your brain the oxygen it needs to chill.

11. Drink Water

A dehydrated brain is pretty worthless when you’re racing the clock. Keep a glass of water nearby (I love my quart-sized mason jars!) and drink frequently.

Being hydrated without that sluggish brain feeling will more than make up for any time you lose going to the bathroom!

How Do You Deal with Being Overwhelmed?

Chime in with your best tips in the comments. We can all learn from each other!