If you are like most adults with ADHD, that big list of things to do; for you family, work and yourself. It feels like there is so much to do and you don’t know where and when you are going to find the time and even not know where to start. There is also a large emotional part to feeling overwhelmed. When you are feeling overwhelmed you sometimes can feel stressed, worried and anxious. This can make getting things done more difficult. However, getting out of the feeling of overwhelm is much easier than you thought. Here are four ways to get you out of overwhelm.
Recognize What Is Going On– The first step to overcoming overwhelm is to identify what is going on. As simple it may sound, we as ADDers often skip over it. It is crucial to acknowledge when you are feeling overwhelmed. It is important to stop acting as if you are trying to keep up, doing fine, moving along effortlessly, when you aren’t and to come clean about it. In other words, when you realize the reality of your situation, you can then begin to do something to fix it. You can’t do anything about it, until you acknowledge it.
De-Escalate the Feeling of Overwhelm– To get your body back in balance, try to take some deep breaths, take a walk or meditate, you can do one of these or come up with your own to restore your inner balance. This will assist you to get both of your feet back on the ground.
Identify The Source of Overwhelm– When you are feeling overwhelmed, it is like your body circuits have overloaded and your central nervous system has closed. When this happens a good place to begin is to find which of your circuits are overloaded. For instance, do you have too many projects going on at one time, multitasking in too many ways, nagging doubts or worries. It is imperative to identify all the stressors that are making you feel overwhelmed at the time, you do not have to do anything about it at this time, only identify them.
Unhook From the Feeling of Overwhelmed– Just like when your house circuits (stressors) are overloaded, you then can figure out which can be unplugged or freed up for what is important. I have learned with my ADHD, to ask myself “if I could get one thing accomplished today, which one would it be”? I then unplug myself from everything else and just focus on that one thing. Other questions you can ask yourself are “what can wait and what cannot.”? “what needs to be done first, before other steps can be taken?”