Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Perhaps you’re stuck in the vicious circle of lack of sleep rotating round with stress, anxiety and despair? If you’ve been through a major life event such as moving house, caring for a loved one or still adjusting to a new baby then there’s a chance you could be suffering from crisis fatigue. It’s a perfectly natural human feeling and you can take small steps to help yourself recover from feeling overwhelmed.
How to Recover from Feeling Overwhelmed?
1- Eat little and often
When you’re not getting enough sleep, your body needs energy from somewhere else. Of course, none of us can cope without sleep for long but you can at least help yourself with food. Don’t eat salty snacks but foods with magnesium instead are great for calming your nervous system. Then there are healthy energy foods including bananas and eggs. So, choose anything from avocado to fatty fish, nuts and leafy vegetables and make sure only healthy things pass your mouth.
2- Make a ‘No’ List
It can be tough to deal with demands from those around us both at work and at home when we’re going through a stressful time. We can only truly recover from feeling overwhelmed if we take care of ourselves first. It’s not about being selfish but about getting our balance back so that we can be the person we want to be for others. That involves saying no to things. So, don’t hold back and make your ‘no’ list and read it everyday as a reminder.
When you’re tired and overwhelmed, you only have so much time and headspace. Cutting out things that you don’t feel equipped for right now is helping both you and those around you.
3- Phone a Friend and Listen
Resilient people all know how to leverage their network to get support. Talking really does help halve your problems. There’s something about labelling your issues that calls out the monster, so to speak, and makes it look more manageable. Of course, it won’t remove your lack of sleep but it will have a calming effect that you’ll appreciate. Also, don’t forget that listening to others can help you forget your own issues, even if only for a moment.
What are you Going to Do for Yourself Now?
So, what’s your next move going to be? Do you prefer to make a no list or a healthy food list? Then again, starting with a phone call to a friend might be the easiest first step that will make you feel love and less alone. Either way, all these steps will help you recover from feeling overwhelmed. That way, you’ll be able to start solving your problems with a slightly calmer mind and sleep will eventually come. Be patient with yourself and as always, be kind to yourself.
