What To Do When You’re Too Overwhelmed

At one point (or maybe more than a hundred points) in your life, things will become just too much. Too many items on your to-do list. Too much pressure from your boss. Too much anxiety over things you have no control over. Too many people in the room with you. Too much anger over a situation. Too many things on your mind. When faced with too much, here are some things that you can do.

Talk to God.

Don’t make this your last option. You don’t have to say a “formal” prayer. Make your prayers as normal as breathing. The more you talk to God, the more natural it will feel to turn to Him when things get too overwhelming.

Breathe in, breathe out.

The act of physically taking a deep breath and releasing it after a few seconds can help your brain and your heart slow down. Do this a few times until you feel calm enough to think with a clear head.

Step out/away.

If you need to leave a roomful of people, do it. If you need to walk away from a person you’re talking to, do it. When you need to leave that to-do list and walk around for a few minutes, do it. When you’re ready to face whatever needs to be dealt with, go back.

Read, watch, or listen to something.

It sometimes helps to do something that is so far from your current, overwhelming task just so you can get your bearings back. Read a few chapters from a non-school or non-work book. Watch a few minutes of your current favorite show. Listen to soothing (or rocking!) music. The idea is to get your mind off things, if only for a while.

Sleep.

Yes, sometimes, you just need to fully rest.

This is an excerpt from Dawns: A Weekly Devotional for Self-Care and Spiritual Growth, co-authored by Isa Garcia, Janina Marie Rivera, and Ida Torres. Published by OMF Literature, Dawnsis available at OMF Lit Bookshop and other leading bookstores nationwide. The book can also be ordered online through shop.omflit.com.

About the Authors

Isa Garcia loves to teach and write. She spends most of her time juggling both but she realizes that there is a lot of joy in trying out new things. As of writing this she finds herself immersed in boxing, soap making, and learning the ukulele. Isa is an enthusiast of life, love and God. She still writes letters. She wrote Found: Letters on Love, Life and God and Like Lines on a Map.

Dawns: A Weekly Devotional for Self-Care and Spiritual Growth is her second book with OMF Literature.

Janina Marie Rivera loves stories. She grew up dreaming, studying and writing them. She is the author of A Night Bird Sings of Blindness and Fear, published by OMF Literature. She is also the Publishing Director of One Voice Magazine, which you can find online at onevoicemagazine.com, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Dream Kits made for United Prayer Rising. Janina has been writing devotionals for iStudyEBS.com. She is passionate about God and life, often getting involved in various types of mission work. She also finds herself in the field of education, where she has professional experience in teaching elementary, high school, and college students. During leisure moments, you can find Janina painting landscapes on canvas or reading a book.

Ida Torres is OMF Literature’s digital marketing specialist and her officemates believe she lives in the internet. She previously worked in the PR, advertising and events industry (EON, World Vision, M2Comms, Adobo Magazine) and also taught communication subjects at Malayan Colleges of Laguna. After years of church hopping, she has found a home at Church Simplified. Ida graduated with a degree in Film, but she never got to practice it (although she loves watching movies.) She is addicted to coffee, reading, journaling, pop culture, football (the real one), and secretly correcting everyone’s grammar. Her dream is to someday write and be paid to travel the world and watch concert festivals. She strongly believes in being open about your mental health struggles, being intentionally kind, and using digital media for social good. You can read more of her writing at idaflutterby.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @emotionalnomad.