Feeling overwhelmed is typically a sign that you have things going on in your life that you feel you have no capacity to properly manage. It’s normal from time to time to feel this way and can even be a signal for you to stop what you’re doing and start taking steps to alleviate yourself of things that may be contributing to you feeling this way.
Normally, we tend to attribute this feeling of being overwhelmed to work-related stress, and while that may often be true, it could also come from many different areas of our life. If we attribute it to work-related stress, we’ll end up minimising how damaging stress and problems in our personal life may be. Sometimes, this feeling can come about due to problems we’re facing. This could be due to personal financial troubles we’re facing, interpersonal conflict with the people in our lives, or the instability of our romantic relationship.
Contrary to belief, you could feel completely swamped and overwhelmed even if the issues you’re facing are relatively minor. Much of this is affected by our own mood and feelings as well. If we’re starting to feel this way, there’s a good chance it is just as likely our own frame of mind is contributing to this. It means we have to slow down, invest in ourselves a little bit more. Something is clearly not going the way we’d like, even if we can’t pinpoint exactly what that is, sometimes.
Everyone goes through this, so you’re not alone. It’s one of those shared conditions we all face. The real problem arises when this feeling starts taking over your life. Feeling overwhelmed can trigger stress hormones that can physically harm you over time. It can disturb your sleep patterns, contribute to acute pain, put you in a state of panic, and over time, can push you towards a depressive state. When this feeling of being overwhelmed is persistent, it can drastically raise the risk of burnout, chronic anxiety, and impair your day-to-day decision‑making.
It’s always a good idea to take stock of your situation, and break things down into small packets of information you can deal with. Sometimes putting your issues into a list can help itemise and organise your thoughts and emotions. By breaking things down like this, it could help you identify the source of your current issues so you can deal with them.
Mindfulness meditation is also a great way to help calm and stabilise your mental and emotional state.
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your full attention on the present moment, acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. It involves bringing awareness to your current experience and can be practiced through formal methods like meditation or integrated into daily activities like eating or walking. The goal is to reduce stress, manage negative emotions, and cultivate a sense of calm by consciously choosing how to respond instead of reacting automatically.
One of the worst things we can do when we feel overwhelmed is to tell ourselves it’s not a big deal. This is how it ends up snowballing into a big deal over time. Just keep in mind that you can and should talk to someone. You aren’t alone and most people will understand what you’re going through because they’ve gone through it as well.
Join us at College of Allied Educators to learn more about yourself, what motivates you, and how you can find happiness, meaning, and success in work, love, and life.
ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
Advanced Diploma in Counselling Psychology (ADICP) trains students to apply appropriate counselling skills in different situations while understanding their underlying theories. The ADICP programme introduces students to the nature of psychology and relates it to the theories and concepts of counselling. Students move on to explore themselves in order to promote personal growth and self-awareness, acquiring the key attributes of a competent counsellor and the proper methods of applying those skills.
DIPLOMA IN COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
Diploma in Counselling Psychology (DCPSY) is a counselling course covering a range of conceptual and functional skills in counselling. It trains students to apply appropriate counselling psychology skills in different situations, and equips students with the ability to work effectively as a counsellor.
For a FREE COURSE PREVIEW
CALL US at 6533-0031 EMAIL your enquiry to ENQUIRY@ICAE.EDU.SG
or Register for your free preview below: