Tips To Overcome Emotional Overwhelm For Peace, Productivity & Perspective

Does this ever happen to you?

You wake up in a cold sweat thinking about a bunch of “stuff”... 

...and the more you lay there the worse it gets... 

Or you’re sitting at your desk and the list of  personal and work “to dos” stops you in your tracks and makes you feel stuck as you freeze up and worry. 

You can’t do anything because your mind and heart are racing.  

The crushing feeling of overwhelm is taking you down. 

Ugh...yes, I know the feeling...been there, done that...and still do that sometimes! However, there are 3 specific tips that will help you overcome this emotional overwhelm and provide you with the peace, productivity and perspective that you need to get you unstuck and move forward.

First, do a brain dump. That’s right, get it all out! All those voices swirling around need to get out of your head and transfer to a written document. You can write, journal, type, talk-to-text—whichever allows the words to flow out stream of thought. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation...and if you throw in some cuss words, that’s ok. The point here is to get everything out of your head into tangible form. The benefits? It can counteract negative effects of stress and strengthen your immune system response!

Second, now walk away. Once  you’ve emptied your mind, change gears and change environments. When you get outside your perspective changes, which allows you to recalibrate your thinking so you can come back to your brain dump with a fresh outlook on the things that were causing the overwhelm, which allows you to approach it with intention and make adjustments. 

Neuroscience studies show that getting outside improves your health because you’re breathing in phytoncides—airborne chemicals produced by plants—increases our levels of white blood cells, helping us fight off infections and diseases. 

Third, breathe. Your breathing becomes shallow when you feel stressed...and we often don’t realize it! This causes your blood pressure and heart rate to increase. Our culture has programmed many of us to stifle our emotions and are rewarded for keeping our feelings under wraps which contributes to the vicious cycle of emotional overwhelm. The antidote can be simple: slow down and notice your breathing. Check out a guided meditation. I personally enjoy Deepak Chopra and Oprah’s various meditations. You can also search for guided meditations that “walk” you through the process. Or simply, sit anywhere that you're comfortable, close your eyes, focus on your breath inhaling and exhaling deeply. Do this for at least 3-5 minutes, although longer is better. This habit will allow you to experience a tremendous difference in your level of peace. 

When we can get caught up in patterns of thought that don’t serve us, they can become well worn paths. Reset your thinking and your mindset with these three tips: brain dump, walk outside, breathe—and you will be well on your way to peace, productivity and perspective. 

For more ways to feel long-lasting peace and productivity, take my Mindset quiz to figure out what kind of reset is best for you.