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Do you sometimes get frustrated because you feel mentally stuck and unable to move forward? Everything seems to be a major challenge even the simplest of things and you can’t stop the same thoughts or feelings from repeating over and over.

Feeling this way is normal. Everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. Generally, it appears whenever you are dealing with more than you should. Life today can be so hectic. So many things going on. So much you feel you have to do. Luckily there are ways to reduce these feelings when they show up.

So what does it really mean when you hear of someone being overwhelmed with work, life, emotion, or social situations? It generally means a person like you or I get bogged down mentally from dealing with problems and/or situations where it makes it hard to function. Like when the mind takes over by making you repeat thoughts over and over again that are of no use. You sometimes feel like you’re stuck in quicksand, unable to move.

So here are some suggestions that can be used whenever you find yourselves in this situation.

Take a moment just to breathe

The very first thing you want to do whenever you feel overwhelmed is to simply pause. Take a moment and just breathe. Close your eyes if you want. What style or technique you want to use, is up to you. The key is to try and focus only on your breathing. Two very common methods are. 1 – Breath deeply in and as slowly as you can out. 2 – Take a deep breath in through the nose and breath out through your mouth. The way I do it when possible is to go sit outside by myself and when I take a deep breath in, I inhale as if I were trying to smell the air, pause, then when I breathe out, I let it out as if a tire was going flat, just let it go. Like I said just focus on the breathing itself. I find it helps me to relax, and it’s so quick and simple.

Take a mental pause

Whenever you feel overwhelmed your mind is super busy on autopilot. This is usually negative or unproductive. You react to every little thing, trying to determine if people are talking about you, or what are they saying. When you catch yourself in this type of thought process simply pause and let your mind drift. Don’t judge your thoughts, just let them go. Let them be. This way you are acknowledging them and at the same time not letting them control you anymore.

Choose your thoughts

When you’re stressed out your brain just will not stop going on and on about things you have no control over. You tried breathing, you even paused to let it go, but still, it persist to keep you stuck. Whenever you feel overwhelmed this much, give your brain something else to think about. Remind yourself of the good things. Just start naming anything you appreciate in life. Just start rhyming things off the top of your head. Make a list of things you’re grateful for. Do this for about one to two minutes. It is difficult to stay in a negative mindset if you’re busy reminding yourself of positive things in your life.

Change your environment

Another trick you can use during times whenever you feel overwhelmed with repeating thoughts and worry is to physically change your location. Get up and go for a walk. Go outside and find a nice place to sit and relax. If your mind is focusing on a situation causing you to worry and possibly overthink it too much try changing your mental environment by reading a book or putting on a comedy. You want to force your mind to concentrate on something else instead of spinning its wheels and getting nowhere. Music can be a great distraction. Play something that makes you happy or gets you tapping to the rhythm.

Connect with other people

Reach out to someone. Go visit and spend some quality time with a family member. Spend some time with people who are energetic, happy, and full of life. Help out a neighbor. Do something nice for someone. Spending time with others whenever you feel overwhelmed causes you to start feeling more positive, especially when you’re lending a helping hand. So when things get stressful take a break and socialize, have some fun, and get some positivity back in your life.

Now that you know what to do whenever you feel overwhelmed. Let’s take a moment to review some hints indicating when you might be approaching this state. This way if you can catch it early you might be able to prevent it from really taking hold of you. Some signs that might mean you’re reaching your threshold are.

Can’t seem to concentrate – This is when you find yourself not being able to stay focused. Easily distracted. Staring off into space.

Simple tasks feel like work – This is when you procrastinate doing mundane things because it feels like it’s too big a job right now.

Don’t feel like eating right now – Sometimes you don’t eat because you just want to get a job done and over with. Other times you don’t feel hungry because you’re too stressed out.

A sick feeling all the time – You seem to be feeling either icky or nauseous, getting headaches from dealing with annoying situations.

Your sleep is all messed up – You can’t get to sleep because your brain won’t shut off. You’re waking up almost every hour, having crazy dreams, and/or you can’t seem to get comfortable.

Your mental health is very important. Everyone in life gets overwhelmed at one time or another. Sometimes it’s life itself, other times it could be work, a family situation, or social environment. So relax, it’s very normal to get stressed out, anxious, or feel bogged down.

Next time it happens give the suggestions a try. Perhaps keep an eye on the warning signs as well. However, if it happens too often or seems to hang around a bit too long, go seek a professional to see what else can be done.

You might have to seriously consider some personal time for yourself so you can get back on track with life. What have you found to be helpful whenever you feel overwhelmed?

Razz