Ramblings from the Couch // Dealing with Stress When you Feel Overwhelmed
Hey Guys…
Here I am again… sitting on the couch and sharing some of my thoughts and ramblings. So far, the videos in this series have been a little more unplugged and not quite as high energy or polished as my usual vlogs.
Some days… this kind of post just really fits my energy and I think there can be power in sharing in a way that feels a bit more raw.
Do you have days where you just want to scream because you can’t literally get everything done that you need to?
Yeah… that was me today. I struggle with saying YES too often and so sometimes I get myself into these situations where I think I can just be superwoman and get everything done… but then reality hits and I struggle to hold everything together.
This is something I’ve really worked on and continue to get better at. Part of my problem is that there are so many FUN and AWESOME things I want to do! It’s just that sometimes they all end up piling on top of each other and then I find myself here.
Today I am choosing to take a step back, look that feeling of stress in the face, and get myself to a better place. Below I share my approach. I hope that some of you are able to find it helpful.
Admit that you are at capacity to those around you
There is power in voicing your struggles to those who love and support you. Even if they can’t take anything off your plate… sometimes just saying it out loud can help make you feel better. Stress loves to sit in the dark and stew. By bringing it to the light, you are already diminishing it’s power.
Ask for Extended Deadlines
This one can be a little harder to do… especially for me. I hate letting people down and so admitting that I need more time can be a little tough. I have found that most people are way more understanding than you expect though! They know exactly how it feels to be overwhelmed, and usually can hold quite a bit of grace for you.
Make a List of Priorities
How many of this items really need to get done today?? By making a list from highest to lowest priority, it can help bring a sense of peace and order. Sometimes stress can make everything feel a little jumbled. By clearly stating what you MUST get done today, and what can wait… it allows you to focus on that top item and knock it out, then move to the next one.
I often ask myself “What will give the biggest relief to get knocked off my list?”. By weighting what emotionally feels the heaviest, it helps me to prioritize the order of my to-do list.
Are you Stressing About Things Outside of your Control?
I have found that stress loves to spread like a virus. Once you allow it, it will start to permeate and attach itself to other moments in your day or areas of your life. If you are at a place of feeling a little overwhelmed, it can be pretty powerful to journal out why you feel stressed. Sometimes things have snuck in there that you didn’t even realize, and really don’t need to worry about. Make sure that you are focusing your energy only on things you can control.
If you spend time focusing on things you cannot change… it will only drain more of your energy and take away from your ability to get caught up on the things that really matter.
Schedule Out Time for the Items You Can’t Tackle Today
Inevitably, you will have multiple items on your list that you won’t be able to get done today. First of all, it’s important to acknowledge that this is okay! Second, I like to schedule a time to take care of these items. That way, I don’t have to worry about when I’ll get to them, because I know they will be taken care of in a timely manner.
If you are working with others, be sure to let them know of your updated schedule so that you can be in clear communication with everyone around you.
Sometimes You Gotta Cancel Fun Things to Get Sh*t Done
Part of why I’m feeling this is way is because I have had plans with friends almost every night this week! Although I have loved connecting with these people… I probably should have pushed some of them back a week or two so they were more staggered.
For example… there is a Yoga, Hike, Brunch + Mimosas event that I want to attend with some girls Saturday morning…but I’m realizing that I may need to skip it to get some stuff done. Makes me sad to say that…but sometimes it’s what you gotta do! We’ll see… maybe I can get enough done between now and then so I can still go. That’s some serious motivation, right??
Thanks for Listening to my Ramblings
I know this isn’t my “Usual Programming”, but I appreciate that you guys always seem to hold space for me to be vulnerable when I need it. I love being a part of this supportive community!
I’d love to hear your thoughts… when you are feeling like you are having a hard time staying on top of everything … what do you do?? Does your process look similar to mine, or do you have a different approach?
Xo, Lea
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Nice ..
Really important words, thanks for the tips
Great post from you
Thanks for sharing
I was fighting with stress in a previous job where I just felt like drowning each day, never seeing an end to the torment and it was devastating. I had to entirely quite my line of job and shift career to get out of it and claw my way back to a good life without stress. I can recognize a lot of my past in what you write, specially the part where you mention not to stress about things out of your control, that what's really helped me to even start working on my own problems :)
Wow, thank you for the thoughtful response! Its so cool to hear that you have been able to move on from your stress and get to a better place. It was brave of you to completely change your line of work and I’m glad to hear it has all worked out for you!
Nooo!!! Sorry about the video deletion. Great attitude and techniques for dealing with stress. Hiking in the woods or mountains helps me a lot when I feel stressed out. Cheers!
Ahh getting into nature is always the best stress reliever. You live in a beautiful area for that too!
Thanks for commiserating with me on the video deletion. I think it actually turned out better the second time when I re-shot it. It all worked out on the end.
Take 2 for the win!!! Been getting some stress relief hiking in off the mountain too lately. Going to be nice and relaxed for Vegas haha!
Good strategies there. Basically what i do is try to avoid being in such situations because i know i would not like myself and my attitude after. When i can't avoid them, i just try my best to finish up or otherwise delegate if possible. The fact is sometimes you can never satisfy humans so you do your best and leave the rest for the next day.
I just taught a lesson to 2nd graders about solvable vs. unsolvable worries. Then they made a worry sack (a.k.a brown paper bag with "___'s worry sack" on it.) They are supposed to write down their worry. Put it in the bag. Put the bag under their pillow (some of my students told me they don't get a pillow. ::tears::.) Look at it in the morning and see if they came up with a strategy or, throw it away if they decided it was unsolvable.
As a teacher I struggle with stress a lot obviously. But, we can't forget that our students do too. We need to teach our next generation to handle stress. We need to be able to handle stress ourselves in a healthy way to be able to teach them.
Thank you.
Such a beautiful thing you are doing with those kids! It’s easy to get caught up in our own stress and forget that others have worries of their own. It’s so cool to hear that you are teaching such valuable lessons to them at a young age. ❤️
well, my comment disappeared.....so I'll try to comment again!
It's all about balance. Ying-Yang. Inhale-Exhale. Active-Rest.
The key is to find balance in your life. When your life gets out of balance, your stress response (how you handle stress) weakens.
It's ok to go go go. It's ok to push. It's ok to have mile long to-do lists...
Just remember to take a moment and catch your breath :)
Peace and Love :) <3
I love that first approach.."voicing your struggles to those who love and support you" That's my best approach to handling stress. I have come to the realization that one can be passing through stress without the people around her knowing until such a person voices it out. Thanks for sharing these great tips of dealing with stress @coruscate
I'm also a huge fan of lists. I make a short term and a longer term as well as project lists. I think the organizational aspect keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, I don't have to try and remember all of the things that need to be done I can just do them. And I enjoy the satisfaction when you get to cross things off.
I also like the motivating factor of a fun thing for after you get your stuff done. I hope you make it to your yoga-hike–brunch+mimosas with the girls! Maybe this post was somewhat therapeutic for you as well. Thanks for sharing your techniques.
Thank you for the thoughtful response! I do think sharing this post really did end up being therapeutic. ❤️
I understand what are you going through, and you have figured out a good strategies to handle with all this. I know because my wife is constantly battling with stress, and not being able to say no to things or work that someone offers her to do. I will show her your post maybe it will help her. Me, I don't stress so often, I have different problems to solve. I lack of initiative and confidence, I have low self-esteem, I'm afraid of failing, I delay things I have to do, so I visit psychotherapist to understand where my problems start, and I try every day to make order or try some kind of system to balance my day. To become productive in many areas in my life. So yes some times is good that there is someone to listen when you talk, it's good to stop for a day to make order in your thoughts, clean the mess and fill your mind with something beautiful. God bless you
Thank you for the beautifully written response. 😊 Trying to stay balanced everyday is a great goal. I hope your wife found some of these tips helpful as well. Thanks for sharing!
En la actualidad, tengo mis prioridades, como descansar, publicar y comentar en esta plataforma, llevar la vida con calma a mis 53 años. interesante Post.