Overcoming overwhelm: four options when you’re in the thick of it
Caring for a loved one adds to your physical responsibilities, increases your mental load, and can affect your emotional stability. All of these factors combined can lead to periods of significant caregiver overwhelm.
In this article, we explore immediate steps you can take when you find yourself overwhelmed.
Photo by Malachi Cowie on Unsplash
Feelings of overwhelm can be all-consuming. Once they start to settle in, it can be difficult to break away from them. The first step to overcoming overwhelm is to convince your body that you’re not stuck there.
Once your nervous system feels overwhelmed, you can become stuck in fight, flight, or freeze mode. At that point, taking one small step to overcome overwhelm can seem impossible.
Next time you start to feel bogged down or feel like things are becoming too much to handle, try one of these strategies. It’s possible to break through overwhelm and begin operating from a clearer and more confident place inside of you.
1. Shake your body
Your body holds a lot of stress and tension. When your nervous system becomes overwhelmed, it dumps adrenaline and cortisol into your body, elevating your heart rate and giving you a burst of energy (even if you don’t feel energetic.)
One way to release stress energy is to move your body to help your nervous system return to a neutral state. Some people do this by taking a walk, doing yoga, or going to the gym.
An even quicker way to release that energy is shaking. You can shake your arms and legs, hop up and down, or do some jumping jacks; try anything that comes to mind when you hear the words “shake it off.” Let your body lead you and move however feels best. With this method, your nervous system has a chance of becoming regulated in a matter of moments.
2. Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique you can try at any time. This exercise helps release physical tension and promotes a sense of calm. It works exceptionally well when you’re trying to overcome overwhelm in order to fall asleep.
To do this, start at the top of your head and work your way toward your toes, doing a mental body scan. Bring your attention to one area of your body at a time. While you’re scanning that area of your body, tense all of the muscles in that area as much as you can, then slowly release that tension.
For example, begin with all the muscles in your face; scrunch, squeeze, and tense them, and then slowly release all that tension. Then, move to your neck and shoulders, then to your arms, then to your chest and abdomen, and so on.
Continue this scanning, tensing, and releasing pattern one area of your body at a time as you move toward your toes until finally every section of your body has been tensed up and subsequently, relaxed.
3. Name your resources
Naming your resources involves identifying and accessing internal and external resources that can provide a sense of safety, support, and calm. This might be a memory of a positive experience, a supportive person in your life, or a physical object that brings you comfort.
Sometimes, simply recalling that these resources exist is all you need to be able to break out of overwhelm. Remembering you’re not alone, you have past experiences to validate that you’re capable, and you have people and tools in your life that can help you, is a powerful exercise in itself.
Once your nervous system has calmed, you will likely be able to take a next step toward activating one of those resources, like calling a friend for support.
4. Try a breathing exercise
In our previous article about breathing techniques, we talk about the power of using your own breath to calm your nervous system and regain your sense of control. Greta, one of our Steadii advocates, created a video demonstrating one of these breathing techniques in our Caregiver Community.
In conclusion, different techniques work for different people. Explore without judgment to find what resonates best with you. Then, consider integrating those practices into your daily routine so you can experience long-term benefits and keep feelings of overwhelm at bay.