I have those days more often than I’d like to admit. You wake up already tired, not because you didn’t sleep, but because your mind hasn’t stopped racing. You spent part of the night playing things over in your mind, sometimes unable to stop the thoughts, which are keeping you awake. Before you’re fully awake, you’re already juggling deadlines, family responsibilities, your phone pinging with urgent messages, and the unspoken pressure of keeping everything together.
And yet, if you looked at your life on paper, you are accomplishing a lot. You meet deadlines. You show up for your kids. You’re the reliable friend, the dependable colleague, the one who gets it done.
So why do you still feel like you’re drowning?
This is the hidden truth many professionals carry: overwhelm doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re overloaded.
The Hidden Layers of Overwhelm
Overwhelm is rarely about just “too much work.” It’s often a mix of:
- Invisible Labor
Beyond your job, you’re carrying the unseen responsibilities: managing the household and everyone’s schedules and needs, remembering birthdays, planning meals, and being the emotional anchor for others. These don’t make it onto your resume — but they weigh you down every day.
2. Multitasking Culture
You’re told to do more with less, to be available on email while on Zoom, to reply to messages while making dinner. The brain wasn’t designed for this constant context-switching, which leaves you mentally exhausted.
3. Perfectionism
That little voice that says, “If it’s not done perfectly, it doesn’t count.” You double-check work emails, re-do tasks, and overextend yourself — which adds unnecessary pressure. You avoid the limelight because you haven’t perfected it yet, and feel like it needs to be perfect first.
4. Boundary Erosion
When you’re always saying “yes” (to work, to family, to favors), your bandwidth gets stretched to breaking point. Overwhelm thrives where boundaries are weak.
5. Comparison Traps
Scrolling through social media, you see others “having it all together” — and it silently makes you feel behind. What you don’t see: their behind-the-scenes chaos. We compare our daily lives with the camera-worthy moments of others.
The Cost of Overwhelm
Overwhelm isn’t just a feeling of “too much to do” — it’s a state that quietly chips away at your well-being, your relationships, and your confidence. When the weight of everything you’re juggling goes unchecked, it doesn’t just stay in your head; it shows up in your body, your emotions, and the way you interact with others. Left unaddressed, overwhelm becomes more than a busy season — it becomes a way of living that drains the joy out of your days.
Unchecked overwhelm shows up in more than just mental strain:
Physically: it can manifest through headaches, tense shoulders, and constant fatigue.
Emotionally: it can manifest through irritability, short temper, and waves of anxiety.
Relationally: it manifests through snapping at loved ones, withdrawing, or losing patience.
Professionally: it manifests through procrastination, missed opportunities, and burnout risk.
Overwhelm steals not only your peace but also your sense of clarity. You’re busy — but you can’t see if you’re moving in the right direction.
Let’s pause for a moment and normalize the Feeling
Feeling overwhelmed does not mean you’re weak. It means you’ve been carrying too much, too long, often without support.
Take a moment right now and say out loud: “My overwhelm is not a sign of failure. It’s a signal that something needs to change.”
Spotting Your Triggers
Pull out your journal and reflect on these questions:
When do I feel most overwhelmed — mornings, afternoons, evenings?
What 3 situations consistently trigger my sense of overload?
If I could remove one responsibility from my plate today, what would it be?
These questions help you identify not just what is overwhelming you, but when and why. Awareness is the first step toward reclaiming order.
Micro-Shifts to Begin Lightening the Load
You don’t need to overhaul your life to start easing overwhelm. Try these micro-shifts this week:
1.The Brain Dump: Write down everything swirling in your head before bed. Your mind rests better when it knows things are captured on paper. I do this whenever I feel my mind racing aimlessly. The brain is very intelligent in that once you write it down, it calms down and knows you’ve taken note. Allowing you to get the rest you so crave.
Support Tools: A5 Productivity Planner — structured for daily brain dumps and prioritization.
2. The Rule of Three: Instead of a long overwhelming list, choose 3 key wins for the day. If you achieve them, the day counts as a success. With our self-imposed pressure, we hardly take the time to appreciate the small wins throughout the day. Gratitude does something to your brain by introducing some dopamine, the ‘feel-good hormone’. Even small wins should be considered a success.
Support Tool: Desk Pad Planner — perfect for mapping top 3 priorities visually.
3. The Pause Button: Before saying “yes,” pause and ask: “Do I have the energy and space for this?” Overwhelm often starts with auto-yes’s. Sometimes you know it’s good or important to support someone or a good cause, but if this support means you’ll be left with no energy, perhaps you should pause and reconsider it for another day or another season.
Support Tool: Time-Blocking Journal — helps you allocate commitments realistically.
4. Tech Boundaries: Silence notifications for just 1 hour a day to reclaim focus. Start small — you’ll notice the difference. I disconnect my internet every so often, which makes me more productive and less distracted. Sometimes this distraction can also keep you from real rest. I hope you don’t sleep with your internet on..
Support Tool: Blue Light Glasses to ease screen strain while working.
A Mindset Reframe
Overwhelm makes you feel powerless, but here’s the truth: you are not powerless.
Every “no,” every pause, every small step to simplify is you taking back control.
Think of overwhelm as a storm. You don’t need to stop the storm — but you can build a shelter that helps you stay steady until it passes. This series will walk you through how to build that shelter.
What’s Next in the Series
In Part 2, we’ll go deeper into practical tools: Decluttering Your Mental To-Do List. You’ll learn how to clear the noise in your head and sort tasks so you no longer carry everything at once.
For now, take one small action: choose your Rule of Three for tomorrow. Write them down tonight, and give yourself permission to let the rest wait.
