How to Overcome Overwhelm When Life Feels Like Too Much

If you feel like you’re holding everything together and your brain has completely shut down, pause.

This isn’t a personal failing.
Your nervous system is overloaded.

When you’re overwhelmed, your body is in survival mode. That’s why you can’t think clearly, prioritise, or “just get on with it”. You can’t logic your way out of this state. You have to calm your body first — then your brain can help.

This simple, science-backed action plan will help you get back on solid ground.

The Overwhelm Rescue Plan

A practical guide to calm your nervous system and regain control

Step 1: Calm Your Nervous System First (Do This Before Anything Else)

When overwhelm hits, your system thinks you’re under threat. Before tackling your to-do list, you need to send your body a signal of safety.

Change your environment

• Step away from the laundry pile, laptop, or kitchen.

• Go outside or into a quieter room if you can.

Use the Physiological Sigh
This is one of the fastest ways to lower heart rate and nervous system arousal.

• Take two short inhales through your nose (sniff, sniff)

• Follow with one long, slow exhale through your mouth

• Repeat 3 times

Ground yourself

• Feel your feet on the floor.

• Notice where you are.

• Say (silently or out loud): I am here. I am safe.

This isn’t about relaxing. It’s about regulating.

Step 2: Offload the Mental Load (Get It Out of Your Head)

Overwhelm is often driven by an invisible list running constantly in your mind: work tasks, family needs, appointments, worries, unfinished conversations.

Holding all of this in your head is exhausting.

Get a notebook

• Avoid your phone — too many distractions.

Do a full brain dump

• Write everything down.

• Tasks, worries, reminders, emotional stuff.

• The email you haven’t replied to.

• The dentist appointment.

• The birthday you need to remember.

• The concern about your ageing parent.

Once it’s on paper, your brain can stop looping to “remind” you.

Be realistic

• What can wait until next week?

• What doesn’t actually need doing today?

• What could someone else help with?

This step alone often reduces overwhelm significantly.

Step 3: Make Tasks So Small You Can’t Avoid Them

We freeze when tasks feel big, vague, or heavy.
The solution is to lower the barrier to starting.

Avoid vague goals

• “Clean the kitchen” → overwhelming

• “Plan the family holiday” → exhausting

Create tiny, specific actions

• “Load the forks into the dishwasher”

• “Google three hotels”

• “Reply to one email”

Use the 2-Minute Rule
Scan your list:

• If something takes less than 2 minutes, do it now.

Small wins create momentum. Momentum restores confidence.

Step 4: Give Yourself Permission to Single-Task

You’re probably excellent at multitasking — but right now it’s draining your battery.

Choose ONE tiny task from Step 3.

• Set a timer for 15 minutes

• As much as possible, ignore your phone, non-urgent messages, and distractions

• Focus on just that one thing

When the timer ends, you get to choose:

• Continue

• Or stop and take a proper break

Either way, you’ve moved forward — and that matters.

A Final Word

You’re not trying to fix your whole life here.

You’re helping your nervous system stand back up so you can take the next small step — instead of carrying everything at once.

Overwhelm isn’t weakness.
It’s a signal that you’ve been strong for too long without enough support.

Start with the body.
Then the brain.
Then one tiny action.

That’s how you get out of overwhelm — and stay out longer term.