How good are you at fitting in everything that you want or need to do each day? 

Do you go through each day calmly moving from one activity to the next?

Or does it feel as though you never have enough time to get anything done?

The fast pace of our lives makes it easy to forget that a relaxed mind and body is our natural state. Yet we’ve become so used to constantly responding to outer demands, that feeling stressed and overwhelmed can become our norm.

If you’re busy juggling a business or a busy career with being a parent, a partner or other responsibilities such as managing finances and your home, it’s important to recognise the signs of overwhelm, such as irritability, frustration and impatience, before it develops into stress, anxiety, even depression or physical illness.

Having recently given birth to my second child, whilst running my business and my home, I know how challenging it can be to stay on top of things and keep a clear head whilst being pulled in different directions all at once.

Feeling overwhelmed is an emotional indicator that is letting us know that we need to slow down, re-centre ourselves and recharge.

Here are my tips on how to nip overwhelm in the bud:

Manage your expectations

How are your expectations putting unnecessary pressure on yourself or others?

If you find yourself trying to ‘do it all’ then you may be suffering from “The Superwoman/Superman Complex” where you try to be all things to all people. While it may be necessary to balance the demands of work, family and home, be realistic about your expectations of yourself and of others otherwise cracks will form in your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing and relationships.

Take off the pressure by eliminating ‘should’ from your vocabulary. Replace it with what you ‘choose’ to do instead. This will make you feel more empowered as you exercise your choices and feel more at ease.

Manage your energy

Find your flow and leverage your energy. How often do you disconnect? Sometimes we need to disconnect to reconnect. By absorbing ourselves in activities we love and can express ourselves in say, art, dance, sports, music, or even just taking ten minutes to meditate and recharge, we can quickly shift from stress to joy and contentment. Research shows that flow states are highly linked to happiness as well as increased concentration, performance and self-esteem.

Manage your time

Respect your limits and make healthy boundaries non-negotiable!

Choose three main things that you want to achieve for the day, put a time limit on each of them and stick to it. For example, if you’re working on an important project you may set aside five solid hours to work on it and switch off afterwards; if family time is important to you then you may want to set aside two uninterrupted hours with your family: one playing with your children and one connecting with your partner; or if you’re the type of person that needs downtime (and we all are) set aside one hour just for your SELF to unwind. When you focus on what is important, the smaller things will slot around your main goals making it easier to maintain a good balance, focus on your most important goals and live your values.

Manage your mindset

Replace your ‘time-poverty’ mindset with a ‘time-abundant‘ mindset
If you find yourself running around like a headless chicken, take a moment to think about your relationship with time. Do give yourself enough time to get things done? Or do you work yourself into a panic trying to get everything done at once? So many of us are in a race against time. How often do you catch yourself saying things like ‘time is running out’, or ‘I don’t have enough time’ The outcome? We feel mentally and emotionally overwhelmed. To shift to a more resourceful state pay attention to what you say to yourself. Try swapping ‘I don’t have enough time’, which triggers a stress response, with ‘I have all the time I need to achieve all that I need to today’, which cultivates a calm and confident approach.

If you want more balance in your life be mindful of where you invest your time and energy as these are your most valuable resources! If you have some top tips on how YOU manage overwhelm why not head over to my Facebook page and share them – I’d love to hear what they are!

If you would like to a one on one session(s) to help you gain the clarity, calm and confidence to steer your life, career or business in the direction YOU choose and then get in touch. I’d love to hear from you!

With love and warmest wishes,