6 resources for managing overwhelm
written by Jasmine Irven
It seems that this year has been weighing on all of us, and while I’m a true believer that a lot of the times the hardest things are what bring the most growth, it’s also very easy to lose sight of that regularly in place of feelings of overwhelm.
I’m here to remind you, in the words of Glennon Doyle that is, that you can do hard things.
“Living life on life’s own absurd terms is hard. It isn’t hard because [you’re] weak or flawed or because [you] made a wrong turn somewhere, it is hard because life is just hard for humans and [you] are a human who is finally doing things right.
If you are uncomfortable — in deep pain, angry, yearning, confused — you don’t have a problem, you have a life. Being human is not hard because you’re doing it wrong, it’s hard because you’re doing it right. You will never change the fact that being a human is hard, so you must change your idea that it was ever supposed to be.”
— Glennon Doyle, Untamed
And, I’m also here to provide you with some of our favourite resources on dealing with overwhelm, and moving through those feelings that can so often have us feeling frustrated, stuck, and unmotivated.
3 ways to manage feeling overwhelmed
Originally posted on Two Ginger Spades, this post by Kate King outlines a breathing exercise and a couple other tangible ways to manage that feeling of existential dread that can sometimes set in and force us into fight or flight, rather than working through our feelings.
If you can implement little action plans like this one when you feel overwhelmed it can help in the future to manage feeling overwhelmed!
18 simple and natural ways to reduce stress
If your feelings of overwhelm are manifesting physically, this post has some tangible ways you can naturally reduce stress in your life.
Stress is something that’s oh too common in our fast-paced modern lives. We often feel like our bodies and our minds are full: whether that’s because of stresses at work or home, or navigating the unknowns and uncertainties of this time. But you deserve to relax!
So, we’ve curated a list of 18 simple, natural, and healthy practises and rituals that can help you to rebalance some of this excess tension; to release things we no longer need, to let go of emotions, and disengage from the stressful thoughts we create for ourselves.
being kind to yourself in self-isolation
If your sense of overwhelm is linked to being in quarantine or self-isolation these past few months, please know you’re not alone.
In this post, contributor Merissa Gladys outlines how she’s been able to shift her perspective and learn to be more kind and intentional throughout quarantine.
Maybe this resonates:
“I didn’t allow myself to adjust to these changing times. I didn’t listen to myself. I was aimlessly going about my days from distraction to distraction, project to project, self-care idea to self-care idea and didn’t take any moment to truly check in with myself.”
— Merissa Gladys
If it does, this post is for you.
8 of our favourite inspirational quotes to get you through challenging times
If quotes and words resonate with you, you’ll love this piece by contributor Brayden Kerr. She outlines 8 quotes that will help keep you going throughout difficult times. One of our favourites?
when it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
In times of adversity, Brayden explains, “we often see all the wonderful things we took for granted, when life was once ‘normal’. May you never lose sight of the essential characteristics of kindness and compassion, especially in light of this challenging time.
When this ends, may you find the person you wanted to be, the person you were called the be, the person you had always hoped to be, and may you stay that way – better for each other, because of the worst.”
simple ways to stay calm and positive amidst chaos, from 5 meditation teachers
Your mindset is an incredibly important tool for navigating stressful or chaotic situations, for grounding yourself, for supporting yourself in your daily life and actions - allowing you to focus, stay calm, and curate a sense of positivity within yourself, even when everything external seems like it’s falling apart.
To offer some more insight into how we can use intention to stay calm and positive amidst anything that’s causing us stress, I spoke to 4 fellow meditation teachers and asked them what actions they’re taking, and what advice they have for navigating this time.
leaning into trust and releasing control
Sometimes, feelings of overwhelm come from feeling a lack of control. With all that's been going on in the world and in my personal life, I've been trying lately to dive more deeply into these times with the intention of trust.
Loosening my grip on the concept of control and the overwhelm we can sometimes feel when we expect things (that are completely out of our control) to go a certain way and then they inevitably don't. And instead, leaning into the idea of trust: trusting the process, trusting my intuition, trusting that things are happening for a reason.
If this resonates, this post outlines some tangible ways to move through these feelings.
I’d love to know which post resonates most with you! Let me know down below. And if you’re looking for other musings and posts on overwhelm or stress and anxiety, please let us know.
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
