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I get overwhelmed too - here's what I've learned - 13th March 2026
I've written about overwhelm before - tips to lift yourself out of that state. Today I want to tell you why I have been in a state of overwhelm myself for many months. I am sharing some of my experiences and observations with you here and I hope you find them useful. Overwhelm is pretty much always the cause of clutter which of course prompts more overwhelm!
Overwhelm can happen to anyone - but you might not recognise the signs
It is a very gradual process. For me I notice what I would describe as an inability to cope with day-to-day activities. Initially the challenge is not being able to think clearly for complex tasks. If overwhelm persists I find myself becoming forgetful and emotional. Even the simplest things seem ridiculously difficult, or even impossible.
I've been overwhelmed before. The worst experience was when I had adrenal exhaustion (similar to chronic fatigue/burnout) in 2015. I think since then every time I get a bit overwhelmed I fear that I will slip back to that time when I was unable to do pretty much anything.
Why I became ovewhelmed in 2025/6
I've written a transformational memoir, Stepping out of Silence, and in April 2025 decided to go down the route of self-publication. My launch date is 9th May which is less than two months from the date of this blog post! I do not regret my decision. However, I can now accept that the process has been both stressful and overwhelming. I have had many moments when I thought I would not be able to complete this project and that I was simply not up to the task.
What I have learned about overwhelm whilst publishing my book
The source of my overwhelm was my book project. Giving up was really not an option. I was determined to get my book out into the world. BUT I knew if I let overwhelm run away with me, the book would be delayed and I might end up unable to continue.
I think the key here is that I knew the overwhelm had an obvious end. Once publication is achieved I can ease off and the tasks I have found to be challenging will be greatly reduced as I promote and sell the book.
Another valuable realisation was that many time consuming activities are not as important as I had previously thought. Interestingly most of these things had some kind of judgement attached.
For instance, for years I have sent a monthly email to my subscribers. Whilst working on the book I simply did not have the time or brain capacity to do this. The judgemental voice thought that to miss four emails was a terrible thing. I would not have chosen this in an ideal world BUT compared to the necessary work on my book - the newsletters were not so high on the priority list.
Equally, we have eaten far more prepared foods than has been the norm for us. Home-cooked meals are more nutritious and tasty perhaps but they are time consuming so I ignored the judgemental voice that said I was spending too much money on prepared food and ploughed on with my book.
The other thing I did that was new behaviour for me was to own that I felt overwhelmed. When you deny overwhelm you get more overwhelmed hiding it from others and desperately trying to live your regular life. This was what happened to me in 2015. I can see that now.
This enabled me to treat myself better. I factored in small self-care measures like short periods of just sitting quietly meditating or asking my husband for a hug. I stopped berating myself for not keeping up with things or doing things "properly".
What can you take from my experience?
Notice when overwhelm is on the horizon or you experience first signs of it
Take a step back and think - what are my REAL priorities?
Release feelings of guilt
Act in YOUR best interests
Ask for support, even if it's just a hug
If you would like to know more about how coaching might help you manage your overwhelm, please drop me an email.
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