How to manage your mental health when life feels overwhelming.

Full transparency, I felt like I had a lot on my plate this week and I made the choice to put publishing a blog post on the back burner. So here I am putting together a last-minute post on that very topic. I hope you get some value out of this story.

Use the following tips to take care of yourself when feeling busy takes a toll on your well-being.

Image by Rosy from Pixabay

Be realistic and don’t take on more than you can handle

Overextending yourself is a recipe for burnout. Don’t put yourself through that. Avoid the temptation to take on everything and narrow your focus and energy on a few key projects. This productivity strategy will lead you to produce higher-quality work.

Practice Gratitude

I recognize that many of the scenarios that make me feel stressed are situations that I am actually very fortunate to experience (such as work opportunities). I make sure to remind myself of that reality and to continue practicing gratitude for those opportunities.

Use Your Coping Skills

I explain what coping skills are in this blog post about how to prioritize rest. Knowing strategies to keep yourself grounded allows you to manage uncomfortable emotions when life feels stressful.

Image by Kei from Pixabay

Coping skill suggestions:

Meditate

Meditation is an effective way to calm an overly anxious mind. I like to do guided meditations through YouTube. You might feel hesitant to spend time meditating when you already feel too busy. But dedicating just a few minutes to doing some form of meditation makes a positive difference in the other aspects of your life. Taking deep breaths also helps you calm down in the moment.

Journal

Use journaling as an opportunity to get the thoughts out of your head. Clearing your mind helps you focus more effectively on managing stressful situations.

Stay present

Try to avoid getting so caught up in stress that you wish away the present moment. We only get one life, and we should do our best to appreciate that by living in the present moment as much as possible.

Photo by Alysha Rosly on Unsplash

Remember how resilient you are

It is too easy to forget how strong and resilient we are. When you feel overwhelmed, remember past times you successfully faced difficult situations. Focusing on these moments will remind you how strong you are and help you overcome challenges.

I hope these tips help you take care of yourself during life’s busy seasons. Let me know in a comment what you do to take care of yourself when you feel overwhelmed!

Featured Image: Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash