Have you ever been in a situation where you felt totally and completely overwhelmed?

I think most of us have experienced overwhelm in a lot of areas of our lives- whether it’s work, school, family issues, money stress, or just having too many responsibilities to handle.

The car needs to get registered, you need to go grocery shopping, you’ve got 3 stressful tasks due at work, and your fighting with your significant other. Ever had a day like that? I know I have!

All these things can pile up and leave us feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, anxious, and stuck.

So what should you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed?

1. Write it Out

Never underestimate the power of writing to get mental clarity, get focused, and feel calm again. When your brain feels like a jumbled up mess of overwhelmed thoughts, writing can help you think clearly.

I love doing a brain dump when I’m overwhelmed. Basically a brain dump is when you just dump all your brains contents out onto a piece of paper, or even in the notepad on your phone or laptop. Write about every emotion, thought, memory, and idea that’s been on your mind. Just let it all out and don’t stop writing until you feel like you’ve gotten it all out.

Usually for me, by the end, I’m shocked by how much better I feel. And writing it all out may even give you some insights on how you’re feeling that you otherwise wouldn’t have realized!

If you’d like some journal prompts and worksheets to help you do this, make sure to sign up for my free resource library full of printables!

2. Talk it out

Another really powerful way of overcoming your overwhelm is through talking about it. Do you have a close friend or family member who you trust, that may be willing to listen to you and offer support?

Sometimes we just need to have a good rant or venting session in order to feel better! My older sister is usually my go-to because she’s supportive, a great listener, and always makes me laugh when I’m feeling stressed.

I’ve also really enjoyed going to therapy and I highly recommend seeking out a therapist if you struggle with feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Although there’s some stigma in our society around going to therapy, I think it’s incredibly courageous to seek extra support. Therapy can be an amazing place to simply get extra support in a safe and non-judgemental space.

*I’m not a licensed mental health therapist. To find a professional, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit Betterhelpto get matched with a therapist for affordable online therapy anywhere, at any time. This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

3. Get out of your mind and into your body

Usually when we’re overwhelmed, we start to get really “in our heads.” By this, I mean we start overthinking and worrying about everything we need to do. Our thoughts can go on overdrive as we try to figure out how in the world we’re supposed to manage it all!

Getting out of your head and into your body can be a really powerful way to give your mind a break. Take a 5 minute break and go for a walk, do some stretching, do some deep breathing, meditating, and whatever else you can to get into your body.

When you come back, you’re more likely to be in a problem-solving mindset and able to move forward without feeling as overwhelmed.

4. Create a priority list

I’m obsessed with making lists and always have like 5 lists created at a given time. Making lists can be a great way to organize everything you have to do, all of your ideas, and anything else you want to remember. Without making lists, I’d honestly be all over the place.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, first make a to-do list of everything you need to get done. Then, prioritize your list from what’s most important to least important. Are there things on your list someone else can help you with? Are there things you’re feeling overwhelmed about that are out of your control?

By creating a priority list, you begin to make an action plan of how to move forward. And seeing it visually on paper makes it so much less overwhelming.

5. Break your tasks into small, manageable sizes

If you only think about everything you need to get done, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. By breaking your big tasks into smaller tasks, things start to feel much more manageable.

For example, if you feel overwhelmed about an essay you need to write, start by breaking it down. If you have 5 days until it’s due and it needs to be 2,000 words, you could break it down into writing 400 words a day. Of you could even break it down further by writing 200 words in the morning and 200 words at night.

That sounds way less overwhelming, right? So when you can, break your bigger tasks down into smaller ones!

I hope this post gave you some helpful ideas to manage overwhelm. Don’t forget to sign up for my free resource library full of printables to help you live a simple, balanced, and stress-free life!