Overwhelm is struggling to cope or deal with where you find yourself in your current situation.
Feeling swamped, overloaded, defeated, and buried are some ways people describe what it is like when they are overwhelmed.
Overwhelm has several parts to it including:
1. High expectations of yourself.
2. Agreeing to do too much.
3. Being critical of yourself.
4. Trying to be perfect.
5. Must do everything yourself.
They can be summarised by – you are trying to prove you are good enough to yourself or to others.
There are many reasons why someone would want to prove they are good enough to themselves and others; trauma, abuse, poverty, death of a loved one are some of the common causes I see.
One method to reduce being overwhelmed is the 3 Ds Method – Delete, Delegate and Delay. Ask yourself each of the two questions for each D and the answers you get will give you a direction to head.
Delete
1. Is this task necessary?
2. Do I need to do this task at all?
Delegate
1. Do I have to do it?
2. If it needs to be done, do I need to do it myself?
Delay
1. Does this task need to be done today?
2. Could it be delayed or postponed to a later date?
The answers to these six questions will probably not resolve your overwhelm instantly, but they will be a big first step to do so.
I find delaying saying yes to new things is a good place to start.
What should you be delaying saying yes to in your life?
Email me info@findingthelight.com.au if you need help to start delaying saying yes!