How To Cope When Feeling Overwhelmed

I always remember someone asking "what is the best way in which to eat an elephant?" The answer was "in bite sized chunks".  Whenever you start to feel a little over whelmed the key to coping well is to break your elephant down into small chunks which are easy to chew and swallow.  You may like to create lists and action points to help in this task, but first you have to get your focus away from the big picture which seems too much to deal with and instead to focus in upon the bits which you can control.

When feeling overwhelmed it is easy to get sucked into a cycle of frantic action which takes you from one part of something to another and never actually complete anything at all.  To counteract this it helps to pick out small tasks which can be completed easily, and as you complete each one you regain an ever increasing sense of control and achievement; even though there may very well be a long way to go, you at least feel that you are stepping forwards along the road to completion.

If you were not to do this you probably would not even get past go.  You would set out in one direction and then change your mind and wander off in another.  You need to be able to imagine the possibility of succeeding to be able to feel any sense of motivation to stick it out and finish a task.  Without being able to see the end result in your mind's eye you will be distracted and sink ever further into an abyss of despair.

If for some reason you simply cannot pick out a single thing which you can complete then a change of scene is probably the best prescription.  Take a break, have a rest, get out into a different environment and relax for a little while.  I know that this may seem to be the last thing you should do, but if you aren't working productively you have to take a step back in order for your mind to clear.  Unless you do this you are likely to find yourself pushing paper around and around upon your desk or just staring into space!

When you feel overwhelmed, your mind cannot relax and thus you cannot think straight.  The act of taking a break allows your mind to relax and the mist of despair and frustration will lift.  By taking just thirty minutes you can recharge your batteries and return to your tasks with a completely different attitude; you will be able to see everything from an entirely different angle. 

Hypnosis is a very helpful state to learn to use as it is a natural state of relaxation.  By learning to use hypnosis you can learn to change state and you will get better and better at it as you practice.  You will, before very long, be able to change your emotional state and relax in an instant.  That thirty minute break can then be shortened to just a few short minutes.   You can learn to wave good bye to stress just by learning to use hypnosis.

As you relax in hypnosis, both your mind and your body get a rest and you can feel your batteries being re-charged and re-energized.  You might choose to listen to a hypnosis mp3 with suggestions to help you to feel brighter and lighter, more positive and confident, or perhaps suggestions to help you visualize yourself succeeding in your goals or motivating you to achieve them more easily.

Hypnosis is a relaxing state which opens your mind to new opportunities.  Things which previously seemed to be impossible can become eminently do-able.  As you use hypnosis you harness the focused assistance of your subconscious mind as well as your conscious mind, your emotional mind as well as your logical mind, and you will also unleash the natural creativity of your inner mind.  This is incredibly empowering and enables one to see a clear bright light at the end of what was previously just a very dark and scary tunnel.   I always think of hypnosis as sunbathing for your soul.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis mp3s for stress relief, health and well being.

Seed Newsvine

Bookmark this article in your preferred program

Comments

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 at 4:04 AM, by TwitClicker
I created a tool that helps manage stress and anxiety in a beautiful way. Please have a look at http://www.twitclicker.com (iPhone app) to create your routine and to see how different areas of your life are related. Powerful graphs help you understand how the food you eat affects you individually (fatigue, anxiety, pain …) and what works best for you to interrupt the cycle (time with friends, yoga, cutting down on coffee, …)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 at 10:32 PM, by Kellie Glass RD, LD
Stress management is extremely important in the context of an overall healthy lifestyle. In my book, "How To Eat Fried Chicken and Be Thin Too" I address this and the other 3 important components to an overall healthy lifestyle. For more information, the book can be found on Amazon or at strategicbookpublishing.com

Add Comment

Popular Articles in this cathegory

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.