7 Skills to Try When You Feel 'Overwhelmed'

Why this resource is helpful:

"Have you ever felt completely overcome by an intense emotions? Have feelings at times felt challenging to manage and overcome? The experience of being "overwhelmed" is uncomfortable and impactful in your life at work, home, or school.

Defining "Overwhelm"
Emotional overwhelm entails more than being stressed. You can feel submerged life"s current problems, to the point where you lack efficacy and feel frozen or paralyzed.

Compare the feeling of being overwhelmed to being submerged in a rough wave. It"s a scary experience! You may not know which way is up or what way to swim. You may feel stunned and unable to react. You may be unable to think or act rationally or functionally.

Whether brought on by events in the world (ahem, global pandemic) or events in your work or family life, emotional overwhelm can occur for a short burst of time or over a much longer period.

Sometimes, like many are experiencing in 2020, a series of hardships and challenges occurring in rapid succession can trigger someone to feel overwhelmed. Common experiences that may have lead to emotional overwhelm this year include:

Suddenly homeschooling your children
Experiences of racism or discrimination
Worry about systemic or political matters
Quarantining and isolating from friends
Cancellation of social hobbies and sports
Physical illnessor worry about COVID-19
Traumatic events
Relationship crises
Increased workload
Serving as a front-line worker
Newly working from home
Getting laid off or furloughed
Financial distress and insecurity
Deadlines and time constraints
Death of a loved one
Wildfires or other natural disaster
(And can we also add Murder Hornets?)"

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