What do you do when you’re always overwhelmed? Understand that human civilization has come a long way. However, introverts aren’t fully understood yet, despite our years of existence. While there is no denying that our current world is in favor of extroverts, that doesn’t mean that introverts should be pushed to the sidelines.
Introverts are very active in our social environment. They are very approachable and are some of the warmest people you have ever met. They can be outgoing too.
However, one of the downsides of being an introvert is that it’s super easy to become overwhelmed. This is usually because of either overthinking things or constantly being at large social events for too long. Being overwhelmed all the time eventually drains your energy.
This has been termed by some as an “overwhelm hole”. Some have described this as being willing to bury themselves without any strength or desire to stop.
Introverts get overwhelmed easily. It is usually common when they have been deprived of their time to recharge. Nevertheless, there are ways an introvert can handle being overwhelmed and eight of them will be discussed in this article.
How to stop being always overwhelmed
Find personal space
An introvert needs his or her space. When they don’t, they begin to feel burned out, overwhelmed, or socially anxious. As an introvert, you understand the role that your alone time plays, allowing you to recharge in your solitude. When you are around people that you don’t consider as close, that can be very draining.
However, while it may be easy to find personal space at home, finding that space at work may be a different story. It may prove difficult to find any time off, and being constantly surrounded by co-workers whom you have to talk to can be overwhelming. In such a scenario the best course of action is to make plans ahead of time. For instance, you could plan your lunch breaks in such a way that you get your time alone to recharge.
Another way you can find some space at work is to build up your social capacity by setting goals. The goal could be to start a conversation with certain people or a particular number of people and if you feel overwhelmed, just relax using breathing techniques or any other physical activity.
Learn how to deal with extroverts
A lot of people do not understand how your mind works or how you cope with stress, especially extroverts. If you want them to understand how you feel or what you want, you need to speak up and tell them what you want and why you want it.
Granted, having extroverts as friends is great and they make some awesome partnerships even with introverts. And like all partnerships, they excel in one area that you don’t and you excel in an area they don’t.
Moreover, extroverts and introverts usually form good communication with each other, and these kinds of communication are helpful to an introvert. For one, they can force you out of your comfort zone and push you to explore, thereby helping you to challenge your introverted nature. And when you feel overwhelmed and stressed out? You roll back into your introverted shell and allow your alone time to heal you.
Mentally prepare for events and social gatherings
Social gatherings may not be as exciting for an introvert as they are for extroverts. If you are an introvert, you would understand how draining it is. There is constant small talk and you are required to interact with people who aren’t in your comfort zone.
To make matters worse, you may be called upon to speak publicly and then you could begin to feel overwhelmed. What can you do to prevent this?
As always, it is better to prevent things that make you stressed. Therefore, you must be well prepared and calm before the event. For example, you could visit the venue before the event. This will help to calm your social anxiety because everything looks familiar.
You could also go to the event with someone that keeps you calm. When you are feeling overwhelmed, finding a quiet space and meditating for some minutes can help give you a calm demeanor.
Readjust your mindset
Networking can be an absolute nightmare when you are an introvert. It takes a lot of energy to meet new faces and interact with them, and networking means that you have to do this most of the time. That doesn’t mean that it is impossible for an introvert to do it because at some point it has to be done. If you are an introvert you might ask, how can I network without feeling overwhelmed?
First, readjust your mindset. Networking shouldn’t be daunting for introverts, so don’t make it appear like it is. Prepare in advance. You can do this by getting a list of attendees before the event so you can plan and decide who you would like to interact with. First, start by sending them emails in advance. This will make talking to them easier and will help to prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.
Avoid switching tasks
It is difficult for introverts to adjust to and focus on assignments when they are constantly changing between tasks. Why? Introverts tend to overthink a lot. This means once they are given multiple tasks to handle and they choose to do all at the same time, they waste precious time trying to solve all of them at the same time.
Then, they struggle to meet the deadline because of time wasted on thinking and then begin to feel overwhelmed. If you fall victim to this, how can you cope?
The most effective solution is batching. This method helps you to focus on one task for an extended period without any distractions. As a technique for time management, it encourages you to arrange all your tasks together in “batches” which are similar to one another. This arrangement of blocks of time for similar tasks minimizes distraction and boosts your productivity, so you won’t have to feel overwhelmed or stressed out.
Write down things that help you feel recharged
Ask yourself questions such as;
- What activity gives me energy?
- When do I feel I need a mental boost?
You must write them down, why? Because they help you look for a solution. The truth is we are all different and different circumstances may mean you need to find a different way to recharge. Some may recharge by reading a book or magazine.
Others walking down the street may prefer to listen to their favorite songs. Some have tried writing a journal when they feel overwhelmed, penning down their thoughts. Activities like exercising and meditation can also serve to regain energy. When at home, you could cook or eat or nap or take a warm bath or do your favorite hobby.
You don’t need to accept all invitations
A lot of introverts are tempted to please everyone but that doesn’t usually go well. As an introvert, you could easily get emotionally overwhelmed when you say yes to every invitation, knowing that you don’t have enough energy to entertain them. So you should come first. You are your top priority,
However, you should try to attend as many events as your energy entertains from time to time. this is because too much solitude can dampen a person’s social skills. So even if you require less interaction than extroverts, endeavor to go out once in a while.
Allow yourself to recover
When an introvert is overwhelmed, the only solution is to get more time to recharge the depleted energy. So when you find yourself overwhelmed and stressed, get time alone and reflect on yourself.
It is also important that you recognize that you are overwhelmed. You shouldn’t see it as a personality flaw to be ignored but as a transitional state. While being overwhelmed may seem like the whole world is coming to an end, remember that your situation will pass, and having that kind of mindset will help you bear that feeling better.
As you try to recover, try to avoid any burden that will disturb your peace of mind. This does not mean you are a bad person. It just means that you need to recharge before you can help anyone. You can also do something when you are alone, such as a hobby such as watching TV.
This may seem unproductive, but it serves as a great way to escape from the work you have and gives you that mental break so desperately needed. So allowing your mind to experience something different will help you cope when overwhelmed.
