What if feeling overwhelmed is a sign—and not a problem?

By Natasha Swerdloff

We’re used to thinking that feeling overwhelmed comes from the outside. That it’s our packed schedule and the many tasks and demands that make us feel stressed inside. It makes sense, after all: The more we have to get done, the more pressure we feel. Right?

But what if that isn't true? What if feeling overwhelmed isn't abouthow muchwe have on our plate, but abouthowwe deal with it?

Overwhelm can creep in even before we’ve gotten out of bed. One glance at the calendar or our mental to-do list, and our body reacts. For me, it feels like a heavy weight sitting right in the middle of my chest—as if an elephant has plopped down there. How on earth am I supposed to manage to get out of bed and tackle all the tasks that lie ahead of me?

But it’s rarely about the number of tasks. It’s about the feeling of being overwhelmed that comes with thinking about all those tasks. That’s what we try to avoid. That’s what we resist. To avoid feeling it, we keep ourselves busy on the surface:

• We scroll
• We're cleaning up
• We respond to emails that can wait
• We start with small things and lose focus

All of thisjusttoavoid feelingwhat we’re feeling. But emotions aren’t dangerous. We’ve just been taught that they are.

Feeling overwhelmed is a sign of overthinking

Many of us have, perhaps without realizing it, learned to suppress or ignore our emotional reactions. We’ve been taught that strong emotions are “too much.” That we need to pull ourselves together, be strong, handle things, and not feel so much.

So when that feeling of being overwhelmed sets in, we think it needs to go away as quickly as possible. But what if there’s nothing wrong? What if that feeling is just a signal to us—and not something that needs to be fixed?

Thoughts and feelings are interconnected. Overthinking manifests in our minds as worry and a whirlwind of thoughts. We feel overwhelm in our bodies as restlessness and tension. But both stem from the same source: an overactive stream of thoughts and the idea that everything must be done perfectly—and preferably yesterday.

The more we try to push the feeling away or deal with it, the more pressure we put on ourselves—and the more we intensify the feeling of being overwhelmed. But what if all you need to do is simply let the feeling be there?

Let the overwhelming feeling be there

Your mind regulates itself, just as your body heals without your intervention. This means you don’t have tofixthe feeling of being overwhelmed. You don’t have to fight it. You don’t have to work your way out of it. Youjust have tobe with it.

For me, that means I pause. Step away from the computer. Take a breath. Feel my body. And remind myself that I don't have to fix anything. Just be. 

And then it often happens that things settle down. Something lets go. I feel like myself again.

There's no such thing as "too emotional."You'renot too much—you're just a human being.

The Three Principles are not a vaccine against being human!

Emotions aren't dangerous. They are movement. Energy. When we try to stop them, they feel heavy. When we give them space, they move freely.

When we meet what we’re feeling with kindness instead of resistance, the energy can flow more freely through us. If you’ve been taught that you have to “fix” your feelings before you can move on—try something different:

• Take a break
• Pay attention to your body
• Allow the feeling to be there
• Remember that thoughts aren't the truth

Feeling overwhelmed isn't a sign that you're falling behind. It's a loving signal for you to turn your attention inward.

You're already enough.

You're not behind.

You're not wrong.

You're not too much.

You are enough—right here, right now.