Reduce Overwhelm With A Supportive Listener
Probably the best way to address overwhelm is to have a talk with a friendly and supportive person in your life. Ideally, there is no judgment, no criticism and no attitude from that person – just supportive listening and, if you’re lucky, some useful feedback.
It’s amazing what enormous value there is in talking things through. I firmly believe that we humans think better together. Speaking aloud under the right circumstances allows the emotions to usefully come to the surface – and the fears and concerns can be exposed to light and air where, sometimes, some of those worries evaporate.
Explore worst case and best case with that person. Discuss how you can diminish the chances of worst case and expand the chances of best case. Can you think of a recent example of your being supported by discussing something that felt overwhelming, and then someone graciously allowed you to think aloud with them? Were you willing to release some of your overwhelm after that conversation? Who can you talk to in this productive way?