7 Key Strategies to Managing Overwhelm

This article is one of four articles in the mini-series “Finding Balance in a Busy World: Overcoming Overwhelm” to help you navigate this feeling and develop effective strategies for managing stress, enhancing productivity, and achieving a healthier work-life balance.

Feeling like we’ve got too much on our plate is all too familiar for many of us. Those endless to-do lists can make anyone feel like they’re just barely keeping up. It’s not an easy feeling to navigate, but in understanding overwhelm and with the right strategies it can be a lot easier to handle it. Here are our top seven strategies for tackling it, both at home and at work. 

1. Embrace How You Feel

Feeling overwhelmed is a normal response, especially in today’s high-pressure environment. Instead of fighting these feelings, acknowledge them. Recognizing and accepting your emotions can help reduce their intensity. Practicing self-compassion isn’t giving up; it’s about giving yourself the space to feel your feelings and gather strength to find the best steps forward. When we quit fighting our feelings we open up energy to finding more effective ways to navigate our workload.

2. Choose Done Over Perfect

Not everything demands your absolute best. In fact, very little does. Ask yourself: Does this need to be my best work, or could “good enough” work? Shifting your mindset to getting things done rather than doing things perfectly can take a lot of pressure off. It can make your load a lot more manageable and have you moving through your to-do list a lot quicker. 

3. Break It Down: Small Wins Matter

Sometimes overwhelm comes from looking at the full scope of what we need to do. Rather than looking at everything that needs to be done, break your projects into smaller, more manageable chunks. As you tick off each step, celebrate these small wins. Working in this way gives you a sense of progress and helps you build momentum, making everything at hand seem more approachable.

4. Take a Tech Detox

Constant connectivity can lead to information overload. Our brains have limited capacity to process information, and excessive digital distractions can strain our cognitive function and add to our sense of overwhelm. 

Set times for a tech detox – turn off notifications, set aside your devices, or block certain apps. Always being ‘on’ and ready to respond to every ping can bring about a lot of anxiety. By stepping away from the digital world, or putting limits around it can reduce stress, overwhelm and boost our overall mood. 

5. Physical Activity: Move Your Way to Clarity

Engaging in physical activity is like hitting the reset button on your brain. It doesn’t have to be intense; even a short walk or some light stretching can help clear your mind. Although it may seem like time away from your to-do list, it’s time well spent.

Physical activity stimulates brain function, releases endorphins (the feel-good hormones), and helps you disconnect from the cycle of overwhelming thoughts. It can also help you take a fresh perspective on challenging tasks once you come back to them. 

6. Learn to say “No”

Saying “no” can make us feel uncomfortable, even when we know in the back of our minds that we’ve got too much going on. However, learning to say “no” and using it frequently can be one of the best ways to manage your workload. 

Rather than thinking about it as saying “no” to many things, think about it as saying “yes” to your priorities and your mental health. Having defined priorities and understanding what you can realistically take on is helpful. If don’t have clairty around that, be sure to take the time to flesh it out so that you can easily say “no” when needed.

7. Meditation: Finding Your Calm

In our always-on world, where we’re surrounded by constant stimuli, finding a moment for grounding practices like meditation can be a real game-changer. 

It might seem like you’re taking attention away from all the projects on your plate, but it’s a practice that gives back so much. Regular meditation can sharpen your focus, reduce stress levels, and help you better to tackle your to-do list. So, setting aside just a few minutes each day for meditation can actually make the rest of your time more productive and manageable.

Wrapping It Up: Taking Charge of Overwhelm

We all have dealt with overwhelm at some point, but getting worked up around it only makes it worse. Instead, try to approach it with a different mindset. Practice these strategies and tweak them to fit your needs. It’s about adopting small but impactful changes in how we approach our tasks, manage our time, and talk to ourselves.  

In our next article of the series, we’ll look into how to keep this positive momentum going. Stay tuned as we explore ways to maintain balance and build resilience overtime.