A quick tip about overwhelm
I thought I’d share a personal experience so that you can learn from my mistakes.
I’ve been thinking about doing things a little differently in my business and so I decided to consult with other business owners in a forum I belong to and gather some opinions.
Well, as you’d expect, this one said this, another said that, still another said a different thing. Multiplied by about 10. Or so it felt.
There were some great ideas in there but I soon realised that I’d come to a screeching standstill due to overwhelm and I was indecisive.
Me- indecisive!
(if you know me in real life even just a little bit, you’ll know I’m not in the least bit indecisive. In fact, I err on the other end of the spectrum in that I can make decisions a little too quickly sometimes).
Although the same thing happened to me when I first walked into a baby shop – too many choices, too much to think about – and I walked right back out 
It’s the overwhelm.
This time I stopped working on ALL my projects because I didn’t know which were good ideas, which were bad and which ones I had on my list because of a “should have” and not a “want to” based on other people’s thoughts and ideas.
Again, overwhelm.
So I made myself a cup of tea and checked in with my gut – immediately I felt good about proceeding with just one project.
When I have clarity on the rest, I’ll move on.
But this got me thinking -
How many times do we feel overwhelmed because other people feel that we should do things but yet it doesn’t feel right for us?
Things like volunteering for committees, at the children’s school, church, etc.
Also, if you’re online in any capacity, how many times do we do things, not from a place of authenticity, but because the Big Name Expert says to do so.
And yet it doesn’t feel right and so we stay overwhelmed and inactive.
This week’s organising challenge
* Think about areas of your life where you feel overwhelmed. Is it the state of your desk, your wardrobe, your children’s rooms, your business?
* Check in and examine why you feel so overwhelmed.
* Is it that you don’t know what to do or where to start.
* Take one small action and see how that sits with you. Keep building on that action, step by step, until you build momentum and can see your way out of the overwhelm again.
Break out of overwhelm is a fantastic 60-minute audio that was especially designed to unleash the secrets of getting out of the paralysis that being overwhelmed brings.
It’s accompanied by a comprehensive 27-page handout and is backed by my special guarantee if you’re not happy.
This is one of my favourite products because it helps you INSTANTLY get through your overwhelm.
Tags: overwhelm, time management
It is so easy to get in that overwhelmed state! I get that way when I just have too many things on my to-do list! My tip for keeping it together is to prioritize. Work on the one or two things that are most important at the time. When those are done, work on the next in line.
Absolutely agree with prioritising.
In this situation, I couldn’t even THINK about what I wanted to do, let alone prioritise.
Still not totally over it… But plodding along
Some things that help me and I’m trying to remember to do: stop, step back and rest if necessary first. A clear mind helps a lot. Stepping away from the problem helps too, to get a different perspective.
And yes, sometimes asking advice is good, and sometimes that can be overwhelming too. I think you hit the nail on the head when you mention going with your gut.
As far as outside activities go, I don’t do any right now. I am a big believer that there are seasons for such things and sometimes, not so much. When I was younger, I did a lot and was very active in helping others. Since I have health issues I need to be wise and need to be home more.