How To Deal With Stressful and Overwhelming Situations

Have you been having a lot of stressful situations lately? If that is the order of the day, then it has probably been the cause of a great deal of overwhelm as well. 

These two things are often closely connected. It generally starts with a lot of stress that goes untreated. Don’t just shove this aside thinking that it will resolve itself. Reject the thought and squash the attitude to take this lightly because it is a big deal.

When stress is left untreated, it can then lead to a considerable amount of overwhelm and burnout. 

Even though this might be very common, it can also be disastrous and quite taxing on your mental and physical state. 

When you find yourself in this spot of bother you are not left high and dry. Thankfully, you can develop strategies and then put these measures in place to help you manage and deal with these situations when they arise.

There are definitely some ways you can manage and reduce both stress and overwhelm to get your life back on track and start living again.

Accept What Stress Is and That (Sometimes) It Can’t Be Avoided

The first part of dealing with the amount of stress you have is accepting what it is. This in no way means that you are accepting that you will always have stress. It just means that at the moment you have come to grips with the fact that, that is the situation that exists.

 It really is more so about understanding what stress is so you can better prepare yourself. In this way, you are more equipped with ways to relieve it when it comes about. 

You need to identify what your stress is and define it. Realize that it is not something you did wrong that has brought about this demanding and nerve-racking set of circumstances.

Try not to focus too much on the stress overwhelming you. It may be difficult at first but it is definitely possible to take a fresh approach and refocus. 

Whenever you focus on the stressful situations you are only releasing more of the stress hormone. When that happens it is going to make things feel a lot worse than they really are. 

Start assigning a name to your stress. Understand that it is from situations in your life that couldn’t be avoided. 

Then look on the flip side, that is, ways that you can reduce it. 

 This can help a lot with your mindset and how you react to stressful situations.

Find Moments To Calm Your Mind And Body

Both your mind and body go through the wringer when you have stress. So when that happens you need to focus on calming both your mind and body. 

Sometimes, this means just taking a minute to practice deep breathing. 

While in other cases, you have a little more time to focus on meditating, praying or practicing mindfulness. 

You need these ‘extra’ moments throughout the day that will help you deal with stressful situations as they arise. 

These moments are really necessary because they help to prevent the stress from getting worse. This also removes the issue of leading to being completely overwhelmed.

Think About The Situation Differently

If there is a particular stressful situation that you can feel taking over your thoughts and emotions, try to think of it in a different way. 

Stand outside the problem and put aside your own feelings about it and how it is negatively affecting your life. It might be challenging in the first instance (because YOU are in the situation), but be persistent. It’s a helpful part of the process.

Just take a moment and look at it from a completely unbiased perspective.  Does it look any different? Can you find a way to be positive or optimistic? At the very least, is it helping to teach you a lesson? 

The fact is, there are things that happen in your life that are going to teach you something. Most times it can provide more than one way to look at it, if you can take a step back and let yourself do that. 

Get Outside To Regroup Mentally

Time to regroup! Give yourself a break whenever you can and as often as you can. Go outside or to a different environment, and just appreciate your new surroundings. 

Having stress at work? Go outside during your coffee break or lunch break. Take a walk, or just head to lunch with some friends to release some of the stress.

Is there stress at home? Give yourself a few minutes to be outside in your garden, go for a drive, or walk to a nearby park.  Now would also be a good time to sneak your workout in.

You will have a win-win situation here. Releasing some stress while at the same time burning some calories.

The energy is different outside. Breathe in some fresh air. Soak up and appreciate the sunshine, new sounds and smells and new senses that develop. This alone can be really therapeutic for you. 

Make Sure You Have Realistic Goals

Being stressed and overwhelmed can be related to your goals and the process you’ve set up to achieve them. 

If this is likely your situation, then you might want to think about what your goals are and whether or not they are realistic.

 It is great to have big dreams, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But if these dreams and goals are a little out of reach, failing to achieve them is only going to become a burden for you.

Be practical when setting your goals. Come up with a plan and try to use the SMART method when you are creating them. 

This method includes making sure that your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. 

Using this technique can help set you up for success. In this way, it will not dump unnecessary stress on you due to failure to achieve them. 

Lean On People When Needed

Finally, find people who you know and trust and build good relationships.

Nobody can accomplish anything completely alone. Sometimes you need help, reassurance, and support from your family and friends. 

Don’t be afraid to reach out to these people you know you can count on. Lean on them when you need to, they will understand what you are going through. 

Understand that they are the most important and the ones that are going to help. These are the people who will help you get through those really rough situations and help to relieve your stress, instead of adding more burden to your life.

How do you cope with stressful situations?