How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed – 6 Simple Steps

Feel like there’s not enough hours in the day?  Do you feel unfulfilled, frustrated, or at the end of your day like you haven’t accomplished anything?  Wish you could figure out a better system to get more done? Overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? I want to give you some hope, you can make simple changes and stop feeling overwhelmed.

I’ve been living in those places too.  There was a time when I felt very productive. But with more demands on my time that feeling of fulfillment was replaced with anxiety and discontent.  Some of those demands were self-inflicted such as saying yes to things I shouldn’t.  But some have not been such as helping take care of my Granny and Mother-in-law when their health was declining. 

Where I was and where I am…

There was a point in time where my life looked like this….I had a husband, a little boy, worked full-time, pursued a side hustle, worked in our church, and sometimes found time for friends. Then when the medical needs for my Granny and in-laws increased, my time for all the other things drastically reduced.  Things such as staying on top of household responsibilities. I still worked full-time but otherwise they were my main priority.

We lost my Granny in April of 2019 and we lost my Mother-in-law 3 short months later.  I operated out of what was thrown at me and urgent for several years, even before becoming their caregiver. Coming out of that season, I found myself struggling. Struggling with how to get back to pursuing goals and living a different purpose. I also found myself living in a state of cluttered chaos. Chaos because of the things neglected in my home over that time.

So, I took some time to think about what I did before that season to be productive. And, what other strategies would help stop feeling overwhelmed.  These are the strategies helping me today….

1. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Nothing will get you more frustrated than the comparison game.  You cannot compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.  When you are looking at someone else’s life you are often only seeing their highlight reel.  You aren’t seeing their struggles or their pain.  If you saw what was going on, or what they had been through, you probably wouldn’t trade places with them. We all have unique gifts and talents. You may not have been ‘built’ to do what they do. You were built to be great at something else. In a way that only you can do. So, go out there and run your own race and be ok with doing the best YOU can do.

2. Turn off the screens

Put the phone down!  This could apply to TV too but I don’t spend much time watching TV.  My distraction comes mostly from my phone and I also often use it as an escape.  It’s a reason to put off doing things that are hard, or things I don’t want to do. And then I say I didn’t have ‘time’ to do them.  However, if you look at my phone, you will see I spent 75 minutes scrolling Facebook today and am on level 1608 in Toy Blast (insert ashamed face). 

I find that my phone keeps me from thinking.  What do I mean by that? When I am on my phone I am not processing my day and learning from it. I am using my phone to escape from it.  When I am on my phone I am not pursuing my goals and working on important things. Saying it’s my ‘me time’ gives me an excuse to avoid those things. And, I could be using that time to pray and seek God to see what He has for me. Instead I’m using my phone to see what the world has for me.  If you check out James 1:8, it warns against being double minded.  When we have a divided mind all our ways will be unstable. Stop comparing yourself to the world will certainly help you stop feeling overwhelmed.,

3. Use a 6 Most Important Things List

It’s not about getting MORE done, it about getting more of the IMPORTANT things done. I was tired. But, I was filling my days with being ‘busy’ rather than doing things that matter.  That’s why I still felt frustrated.  So I started using something I learned about years ago. A ‘6 Most Important Things List’.

Spend a little time each day making a list of the important things you need to the next day.  If you do more than six, overwhelm will set in quickly. I like doing it the evening before so I already have a plan when I get up.  If you wait until the morning of, there’s more opportunities for things to get in the way. Use the list as a guide for the day. Do the top one or 2 things on it before other emergencies of the day come up.  You will feel more accomplished and you will be closer to your goals.

4. Ask for Help

Any other strong willed, independent ladies out there?  Truth is, I have learned we are designed to need and receive help.  There’s nothing wrong with being independent but God continually provides us with what we need.  From the very beginning of time God gave Adam a helpmate. Asking God for help reveals our need for His Grace.  And when you ask for help, you are giving someone else an opportunity to serve and be a blessing to you.  (Galations 6:2)

5. Develop Systems from Where You Are

I am an organized person by nature. But, if you saw my home a few months ago you would not agree.  There’s still a lot of work to do, but I can at least relax in my home now.  I would come home and not know where to start and just avoid doing anything all together.  Or, if I was able to work on decluttering, it would only take only a day or two before chaos took over again.  I needed better systems to manage what was currently happening in my home. 

So, I thought about what I would do if everything was already running well. What would that look like? So, I started to use better systems as if everything else was organized.  This made me more efficient with current demands and things coming into our home.  It gave me a win! With this, and the other strategies listed, I am finding more time and motivation to work on the old piles. 

For example, my office is the ‘catch all’ place.  It’s where I dump things to get them out of the way.  I kept ignoring the new stuff coming in while I was trying to sort through and catch up the old.  As a result, the clutter kept growing.

I came up with a system for new mail coming into the house.  I open mail as it comes in. And, I process it and file it away in its new filing system. Then when I have an extra 20 minutes or so, I will go work on the old pile.  Most of the time, that 20 minutes turns into an hour or more.  So now the old pile is getting smaller and the new pile is nonexistent. This step probably helped me the most to stop feeling overwhelmed.

6. Find an Accountability Partner

The people you spend time with help shape who you are.  They influence your beliefs and behavior.  Surround yourself with people who encourage you and make you better.  Find one or more of those people to be your accountability partner(s).  Many times I am OK with letting myself down but not OK with letting my accountability partner down.  I will stay motivated to do things because I know they will be checking in on me.

This is a work in progress. I keep reminding myself that slow progress is better than no progress. And, it took several years for things to get out of control. It will take longer than a week to get it back in shape.

I hope the strategies that have helped me help you too. Which strategy can you incorporate today?  Or, share in the comments your best tip for how to stop feeling overwhelmed.

Thanks in advance for clicking your favorite share buttons below! <3