FEELING OVERWHELMED?

Feeling OVERWHELMED? You may feel overpowered, submerged, buried, overworked, drowning in work or debt.

The start of a New Year can bring feelings of being overwhelmed. Take a deep breath and follow some of these quick-start steps. In doing so, you will survive and even thrive!

SEVEN WAYS TO SURVIVE WHEN FEELING OVERWHELMED

1. DEFINE WHERE YOU ARE. Pinpoint your exact location. Upside down in debt? Facing Bankruptcy? Feeling depressed? Buried in Confusion? Stressed and Overworked? What is this costing you in time and emotional energy? Is it worth it?

2. QUIT FIGHTING. Stuck in a riptide? Swim parallel to the shore & get your footing in the sand. Buried in an avalanche? Spit-gravity will show you where “up” is. Then dig towards fresh air to not asphyxiate.

3. YOU’RE UPRIGHT--NOW TAKE SMALL STEPS TOWARD SAFETY. Take some deep breaths and move—you’re O.K.! Stand tall and believe in yourself. You don’t have to be stuck in the same cycle. 

4. BE DELIBERATE and MAKE EVERY ACTION COUNT. If you walk or swim on the same path as before, you could be buried again. Decide what “not to do.” It’s just as important as what “to do.”

5. REFLECT and THINK. Start your day journaling, meditating or taking a walk. Unplug and open your eyes and ears to what’s around you. Doing so will help you be more personally and professionally centered. 

6. PERSUE TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS. Keep a small, close circle of relationships. Your circle can include a coach, mastermind group, trusted friends and colleagues. 

7. REPEAT STEP ONE-DEFINE WHERE YOU ARE. Life brings many changes and differing times of feeling buried. Repeat these steps often to free yourself from feeling overwhelmed, carried by a riptide or buried in an avalanche.

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