Ten Ways to Start Turning Overwhelm Around

We are living in a time of overwhelm. We have all felt it, many of us deal with it on a consistent basis, and it erodes our potential, our results, and our happiness on a multiplicity of levels. Anxiety is destroying people and organizations from inside out.

Let’s take a look at what happens when we are stressed or overwhelmed . The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that controls executive functions; clear thinking, decision-making, strategizing, planning, etc. When we are stressed the blood flow to the prefrontal cortex is reduced, making clear thinking increasingly difficult. The more stressed or anxious you become, the more difficult it is to focus and think.

When we feel overwhelmed, we subconsciously look for a distraction to remove stressful feelings. Rather than completing a project or dealing with a difficult situation, we surf the web, watch a program rather than doing our work, or dealing with a difficult situation because our thinking brain, our prefrontal cortex is not working properly because our survival/fight or flight mechanism is in play.

The good news is that we can learn how to deal with overwhelm and stress. Rather than beating yourself up for going into fight/reactionary, flight or freeze response, try one of these 5-minute exercises knowing that the stress, anger or overwhelm will pass, and you will be able to refocus on your most important objective after refocus, repurpose and repower.

Here are 10 5-minute exercises (cool tools) to help beat stress or overwhelm

Do “The Pause” a mindfulness exercise that takes 2 minutes, 3 times a day for 7 days to be effective. You can’t meditate? You don’t want to learn about mindfulness? Do The Pause! It is transformative if practiced regularly, and science confirms its positive impact on your potential, results, and health.
Take charge of tension by releasing it, fast. Clench whatever part of your body is tense and release it. Even better, do your whole body-clenching & releasing.
Drink/sip ice water. Fluids move hormones into exactly the right places for sustaining energy, and those same fluids eliminate toxic wastes that can accumulate and wear you down.
Change your state, move your body, jump, dance, do chair yoga take 5 minutes to get energetic because inactivity is an unnatural state for us..
Laugh, yes have a joke collection or clips you can watch for 5 minutes that make you laugh. Laughing gives your brain an aerobic workout, and it is an excellent stress reliever and mood booster. Smiling automatically elevates our mood.
Take a 5-minute time out. Block out all stress or worries. Think about something that really makes you happy or visualize your favorite place or vacation spot. Yes, take a happiness time out!
Meditate, pray, listen to music, or read poetry for 5 minutes.
Journal for up to 5 minutes, longitudinal studies have proven that keeping a confidential emotional journal where you can write out your deepest emotions, releasing the tension associated with them not only makes people feel better, but it also enhances healing and recuperation time.
Take a 1 minute time out. Wiggle your toes (it distracts your brain) Block out all stress or worries. Think about something that really makes you happy. Yes, take a happiness time out!
Doodle or color for five minutes. Creativity is a great stress reliever.

Make the critical shift forward because it is possible to retrain our brains, re-center our hearts, and learn to think, communicate, and collaborate better at the speed of change and in the face of challenges, competition, anxiety, overwhelm and even stasis.

Try one of these free five minute tool cools on for fit this week. You need to do them consistently for 7 days to begin to see results.

Author Bio: Irene Becker a self professed nerd who is on a mission to change the world. Irene completed a certification in trauma counselling in addition to post graduate certifications in management coaching, life coaching, emotional intelligence coaching and completed her executive coaching certification with the #2 leadership coach in the world, John Mattone. Most of all, Irene believes that together, we can create a better tomorrow.

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