Why Do I Feel So Overwhelmed?
Questions We Ask Ourselves
Gentle reflections exploring the thoughts, feelings and questions many people carry quietly within themselves. These articles are written to offer understanding, hope and practical encouragement, reminding us that we are never alone in the questions we ask ourselves.
Why Do I Feel So Overwhelmed?
I was watching a blackbird in the garden one morning that had found a worm that seemed far too large for it to carry.
For a few moments it tugged, paused, looked around and tried again. Eventually it flew away, leaving the worm where it was.
Given the struggle the blackbird had with that worm, there was something quietly wise about the bird flying away.
The blackbird didn't see leaving it behind as failure, I thought; it simply recognised that it was trying to carry more than it could.
I wonder how often we allow ourselves the same wisdom?
Many people quietly ask,
"Why do I feel so overwhelmed?"
Sometimes they believe there must be something wrong with them because they can no longer keep up, yet when we look more closely, the answer is often much kinder.
Perhaps you've spent months, or even years, trying to carry everything.
Your own worries - Other people's worries - Family responsibilities - Work pressures - Financial concerns.
The endless list of things that seem to demand your attention before you've even had time to catch your breath.
One responsibility on its own might feel manageable; two or three might still be possible.
But eventually there comes a point where the mind and body begin to whisper,
"This is becoming too much."
The trouble is that we don't always hear the whisper, so the whisper becomes tiredness, or irritability, or forgetfulness, or tears that seem to arrive without warning.
Sometimes it becomes a body that refuses to settle, even when we're desperately trying to rest.
I've often thought that feeling overwhelmed isn't a sign of weakness; it's more like the dashboard light in a car. It's not there to criticise the driver; it's there to say,
"Something needs your attention."
Yet many of us respond by trying to drive faster; we promise ourselves that things will be easier next week.
We push on for just a little longer; we tell ourselves we'll rest when everything is finished.
The difficulty is that life rarely announces,
"Congratulations. Everything is now complete. You may relax."
There will always be another email, another chore, another responsibility waiting patiently for tomorrow.
Perhaps the question isn't,
"How can I do more?"
Perhaps it's,
"What can I gently put down?"
I don't mean giving up on the people you love or the responsibilities that truly belong to you. I mean recognising that not every expectation deserves to be carried.
Not every request requires a yes. Not every problem belongs on your shoulders.
There is, in my opinion, a quiet courage in deciding that today you will do what you reasonably can, and allow tomorrow to remain where it belongs.
Tomorrow.
At Healthy Audio Hypnosis, people often tell me that one of the greatest gifts of guided hypnosis is not that it changes their circumstances overnight.
Instead, it changes the way they experience those circumstances. The Stress Relief & Relaxation Audio Program 80 and the Burnout Audio Program 75 were created with exactly that in mind, to help the mind and body step away from constant pressure and rediscover a steadier, calmer rhythm.
The world rarely asks us to slow down.
Sometimes that invitation has to come from within.
Before You Go...
If today feels heavy, perhaps you don't need to become stronger.
Perhaps you simply need permission to stop carrying something that was never yours to carry in the first place.
The blackbird eventually flew away without the worm. And somehow, it will still have found enough to nourish itself.
Perhaps there is a lesson in that for us too.
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