Overcoming The Overwhelm
Written by: Ana Angelique, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed with the list of tasks to complete or the things that are demanding your immediate attention? Have you ever felt so paralysed with your thoughts and emotions that you just can’t seem to think straight or function properly?
Sometimes the pressures of life build up to the point where we’re unable to cope enough to take any action, and whilst there are activities that we can do to take our mind off it, such as going for a walk, exercising or playing sport, have you ever considered just writing it all down? Or at least writing down the most pressing and urgent items that are occupying your mind and the emotions that go with it. Not writing a to-do list but writing out all your thoughts. I’m talking about journaling.
Journaling is a form of self-talk therapy and a means of slowing down your thoughts to allow the creation of some order amongst the chaos, so that you free up enough brain space to be able to think clearly and logically; And being able to process and deal with everything that’s going on around you, reduces the overwhelm to make it manageable again. It’s a way to allow yourself to really feel, experience and work through your emotions, as you write them down and try to describe them. This makes journaling a way to learn more about yourself through looking at your triggers, your reactions, and your default responses, and finding the repeating behaviour patterns. Of course, once you can find patterns and understand why they happen, you can choose to start working on changing or altering them. But I’m getting ahead of myself because most people don’t journal in the first place as it’s often viewed as something you do when you’re a child or teen… when you write down all your darkest, deepest thoughts, and something that, as you get older, you simply don’t have time for. But consider the amount of time you would already spend and the energy you use, by allowing your thoughts to race off into the sunset, creating all sorts of tangents and “what ifs” scenarios that can often have you worrying about nothing that’s actually likely to even happen.
Journaling doesn’t have to involve a fancy book and pen, although I personally write in my journal with a calligraphy pen, but that’s only because it forces me to write slower, giving me more time to think through and compose my thoughts before I write them down. You can use whatever you have on hand – just try and use the same notebook every time you do decide to write. You don’t have to write in it regularly either. You can choose to write only when things are a little too much to contain, whether that be positive or negative. It’s also not necessary to schedule in time for it every day, unless you find it therapeutic and beneficial for you after you’ve been doing it for a while. For now, just need to start with one entry.
Completely spontaneous. Allow yourself around 10 minutes to just write and don’t worry about how you structure your sentences because this exercise is about writing for your mental wellbeing. The aim is to give yourself the time and space to process your emotions and thoughts.
Below are a few journaling tips to get you started:
Write out all the thoughts floating around in your head, in no particular order. We’re not aiming for perfection here – it’s just about getting it out of our head and into a written format.
Stick to the thoughts that are most predominant. This can be in bullet point or full sentences – whatever works best for you.
Next, be as detailed as you can about your emotions – what you’re feeling and any physical reactions. Doing this gives you the time and space to experience the emotion and work through it.
Don’t judge yourself or try reasoning about your emotions. Just allow the emotions to flow through you so that they can pass.
Now write the reason or trigger that you think has caused these thoughts to occupy so much of your current thinking. This is good for going back later to see if there are any patterns that you need to break or triggers that you need to be aware of.
Go back to writing about your emotions until they’re all written, then write down any thoughts you have about steps you can take to regain control of the situation. Since you’ve acknowledged your feelings and worked through the bulk of it, you’ve freed up space in your head to think clearly again.
Accept and acknowledge that you can’t control everything and that it’s okay if you don’t have an answer to what you’ve just written about. Sometimes it’s simply about learning more about yourself, which is a good thing.
Keep your journal private to enable you to write freely and honestly. This is for you to manage what’s going on within you, and not for anyone else to judge, critique or form an opinion about.
Once your journal entry is finished, close the book and allow yourself to let go of everything you’ve just written. This enables you to move on to the next thing.
Repeat these steps each time you feel like there’s too much going on in your head. I guarantee it’ll make you feel better.
Follow Ana on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin or visit my website for more info!
Ana Angelique, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
After overcoming some major life challenges on her own, Ana Angelique believes that others shouldn’t have to struggle in silence; Life is complex enough, but it is also beautiful, and it should be enjoyed.
As a wellbeing life coach and mentor, Ana’s positive approach to life, her captivating and addictive energy, and her creative thinking, enable her to empower her clients to take charge of their future and regain control. She has an insider’s perspective - one that’s been gained from an international corporate background, that enables her to relate to and understand, the real challenges faced by people every day.
Thought-provoking, persuasive, and inspirational, Ana has natural teaching abilities and is known for her unique perspective on situations.
