Being overwhelmed by your emotions can leave you down and unable to do a lot of things. Sometimes, activities keep piling up even when you do your best to get things done on time.
There are so many reasons why things overwhelm you and you can prevent this from happening in the future. Here’s the thing: when you’re overwhelmed, you’re not at your best. This usually happens when we overcommit ourselves.
One reason why things overwhelm the average person is due to the fact they don’t have boundaries. That being said, they find saying “No” to people completely difficult. They eventually stretch themselves thin and unable to function.
Without further ado, let’s get into our reasons why everything overwhelms you and what to do about it.
Why Does Everything Overwhelm Me?
Here are 5 reasons why everything overwhelms you
1. You Do Not Set Appropriate Boundaries
Here’s what you should know and be content with. You can’t make everyone happy. You can’t save the world and that’s okay. Being a people pleaser isn’t a good way to go about life. Else, you’ll be constantly overwhelmed.
The fear of saying no to people leaves you with no time for things you actually enjoy. You’re overworked and overwhelmed by everything till you don’t have enough time for yourself.
This is why the need for boundaries helps people know how to behave around you. It might be hard at first but anyone who gets mad just enjoys your relationship with them because of the benefits.
What To Do
Set those boundaries and if you’re scared of doing so, you know you’re on the right track. There’s the saying you can do anything you put your mind too. But the thing is you can’t do them at once.
Put people in their place and make them respect your boundaries. Whenever you’re tired, make sure to say no. Saying no can be a lot harder than most people think but you must learn.
You can start by saying “I wish I could help but I’m pretty occupied right now”. And then gradually work your way into a more suitable way to declining.
2. You Setting Unrealistic Exceptions for Yourself and Others
If there’s one thing, I’ve learned is that expectations are just that. Expectations. The world wouldn’t always and even rarely ever live up to our expectations and that applies to us as well.
When you put a lot on your plate, it’s hard to focus on one thing without a compounding fear you are ignoring the others. And what happens? You become overwhelmed.
We put too much expectations on our plates which keeps piling up till we can’t handle it anymore. If you’ve noticed, you either don’t get them done in time or when you do, you don’t feel like you gave it your best.
What To Do
Take them off your plate for starters. Avoid the urge to commit yourself to just about anything thrown your way. Your plate is full because you keep piling and piling. As you can see, that doesn’t really work out well for you so stop.
When you’re on one project, focus on it before moving into the next. Do not even think about the next project because it could affect the current one. This makes your time and resources a little more manageable.
3. You Expose Yourself to Triggers
As someone who suffers anxiety and everything that comes with it, the power of noise cannot be overemphasized. This noise could be as loud as a car horn or as mild as your phone ringing.
When those triggers come on, suddenly everything around me becomes so overwhelming. There’s the need to constantly check your notifications that you barely have time to process information. You can identify your triggers.
Then overthinking comes into play. Suddenly everything is so important and needs to be attended to right away. Failing to stop and ask yourself certain questions can lead to both mental and emotional stress.
What To Do
Stop! For just a moment, hesitate. Ask yourself if you need to respond right away or if it can wait. Take deep breaths and identify your triggers.
Unfortunately, some triggers are out of your control but the ones that are, you can manage them. You can start by reducing the noises around you. Putting your phone on silent and out of sight when you’re feeling tired.
This can be very difficult because of the attachments people have with their phones. Consider turning your notifications off. You can set out a time in a day where you check for important messages. Other than that, they can wait.
4. You Do Not Take Self Care Seriously
For a long time, I didn’t exactly practice self care and that means I let just about anything have access to my sanity. This eventually left me drained and tired all the time as I was beginning to overcommit myself.
When you lack consciousness for self care, this can easily be you. It will leave you tired, burnt out and overwhelmed. It can trigger your anxiety and eventually ball down to depression.
When you don’t care for yourself, it shows how little you love yourself. And no one should love us more than we love ourselves. Because at the end of of the day, when everyone goes home, you’re left with your own company.
What To Do
Get a journal and ask yourself why you don’t see yourself as a priority. Write down why you easily overlook your emotions and well-being. I always suggest a journal because things make a lot more sense in your own writing.
When you’re done, list out a number of ways you can begin practicing self care. One way to practice self care is involving yourself in your hobbies. Things you enjoy doing and doing them with your heart.
Take a timeout from what people think is important to what you think is important. Get enough sleep, food, and exercise. You can’t take care of the world when your tank is empty.
5. You Are Imposing Perfectionism on Yourself
When you impose perfectionism on yourself, it shows you lack a lot in the self awareness department. It makes you feel nothing you do is ever good enough and that leaves you overwhelmed.
And the feeling of incompetency just leaves you doing more and more. Trying to fill up that void and make it perfect. Yet again leaving you completely overwhelmed.
What To Do
Shake off the constant urge to be perfect in all that you do. People do not expect perfection. And even those who do aren’t perfect themselves so they have absolutely no right to impose it on you.
When you box yourself as a perfectionist, you do not have enough time to actually enjoy things. You can’t always have it all together. Even superheroes have their trying times and that’s the actual reality of things.
People you look up to as being perfect aren’t either. So why let it camp in your life? Being a perfectionist just makes everything overwhelm you because you need it to be perfect. The problem is that there is no such thing.
Conclusion
These 5 reasons could be why it seems everything overwhelms you. Which of this resonates best with you? Let me know in the comments.
