Overwhelm

Thursday, January 10, 2019 Permalink

You would have loved today’s post.

It was about goal setting and the fact that it’s kinda crappy, and (apparently) it’s far better instead to establish habits to get us to where we need to go. I was referencing a Mark Manson post, though realised later I somehow confused two separate posts (and topics) as MY post went on to talk about how to identify priorities and make decisions and talked about the importance of ‘regret’ in whatever it is we’re weighing up.

I eventually managed to tie the two themes together in some vaguely rational way but… haven’t yet finished that post. Perhaps I won’t.

Instead (yesterday) I travelled to my mother’s and she’s been having internet issues so… I ran out of time and the motivation to better organise those thoughts in my little mind.

And in reality – if I’m being honest, which I try to be (or at least I used to) – I mostly feel a bit like this.

overwhelm

I saw the image on my friend Carla’s Instagram feed the other day and had one of those Meg Ryan When Harry Met Sally, ‘YES YES YES’ moments.

I know my life is a dream compared to many. Believe me… I know I should be more grateful for everything I have and everything I’ve done.

But there are moments of change when we’re on the precipice and it all feels like it’s a bit too much.

I tend to deal with that by writing about it… most of the time.

I try to rationalise with myself. I try to plan… so I feel in control and don’t feel too anxious or start to panic. But it doesn’t always work.

So there you have it. Me. Now.

What about you? How’s your 2019 shaping up?

10 Comments
  • Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit
    January 10, 2019

    That’s such a great “quote” thingo. Yes, yes, yes. I concur. Yes,

    • Debbish
      January 10, 2019

      I liked the way it explained the concept of overwhelm… a complete overflow of stuff so it really resonated!

  • Jo
    January 10, 2019

    That bucket thingie is a really good analogy. I often say that sometimes it’s like my brain is leaking – or can’t take any more in. When that happens I try & pick just one thing…often not very successfully.

    • Debbish
      January 10, 2019

      I agree and sometimes it takes the littlest thing to tip the bucket. Today I’d been grappling with the internet stuff and trying to coordinate some other stuff I needed to do and then I opened Facebook and read a HONY post about someone who wanted to be a writer and had an idea for a book and I had that sense of being confronted too much by stuff and just completely shut down.

  • Min Write of the Middle
    January 10, 2019

    Love that quote! I get overwhelmed a lot! SO MUCH NEEDS DOING and I can’t seem to get to it all. So I make lists and intentions and hopefully I will chip away at those lists and intentions and the overwhelm will start to decrease and become more manageable. That’s the plan anyway! 🙂 #TeamLovinLife

    • Debbish
      January 10, 2019

      ‘Planning’ usually helps me feel better but I’m quite directionless at the moment and stuff is on hold for a range of reasons. And I feel unhealthy and stressed when I’ve no need to be. But yes, chipping away can help.

      Annoyingly I felt really okay about things on Tuesday: I’d gotten stuff done and lots of writing, chores and felt hopeful about the future. And then Wednesday came….

  • Emma
    January 11, 2019

    I like the bucket analogy. It perfectly describes how I feel at times, right now I’m reading this when I should be working because I was overflowing earlier and I recognised I needed a break. It’s a shame it’s taken me almost 50 years to realise when I need a break!

    • Debbish
      January 11, 2019

      Yes, as I mentioned in another comment I think, it’s usually the little things that will ultimately break me and I’ll react badly to something that seemingly inconsequential.

  • Sanch @ Sanch Writes
    January 13, 2019

    I think you can be grateful for all you have and still be overwhelmed with the present and the future. They are not mutually exclusive. I find that as an overthinker/anxious person, it can be easy to get overwhelmed particularly when there is so much to be done, so much you are wanting to do and so much you’d love to do. I don’t have all the answers of course but writing it out usually helps with the overwhelm as opposed letting it bubble in my head. And I don’t mean just lists or planning – just writing it to get some clarity about all of the things.

    • Debbish
      January 14, 2019

      So true re the writing Sanch and the Manson posts I mention both talk about writing as a way to help: make decisions and follow through on goals or plans.

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