Feeling Emotionally Overwhelmed: How to Deal With Your Emotions
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Have you ever felt overwhelmed? If you are human, you can answer that question with a resounding “yes.” Yet living in a prolonged state of overwhelm can lead to feeling emotionally overwhelmed to the point that you can’t function normally. Here’s what you should know about this and how you can take steps to stop feeling this way.
What Causes One to Be Emotionally Overwhelmed?
When the state of your emotions is more than you can handle, you may feel emotionally drained and not at your best mentally. This state occurs when you face a high level of stress, and it’s known as being emotionally overwhelmed.
Emotional overwhelm is more than just being stressed. It is being stressed and having such strong emotions that your thoughts and feelings are completely controlled by the things you are facing. You may become mentally paralyzed, unable to do any of the tasks you should be doing.
What It Means to Be Overwhelmed
When you’re emotionally overwhelmed, you will begin by feeling a state of emotional intensity. Your emotions, typically negative ones like anxiety or sadness, hit you with a powerful force. It doesn’t matter if the emotions come from one event or a series of situations. If they’re intense enough, they can cause overwhelm. When overwhelmed, you’ll be completely engrossed in your own thoughts and emotions about what is going on with your life.
When you’re in this state, you’ll also experience mental overload. Your thoughts, worries, and anxieties can clutter up your mind, causing a state of racing negative thoughts. This state makes it harder to make decisions or solve problems.
Some people experience physical symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle tension, when in this state. They may also notice their relationships have become strained as they feel like withdrawing from friendships. The increased irritation they have or the cognitive challenges they experience can make communication difficult.
Common Reasons for Feeling Overwhelmed
You can feel overwhelmed for a wide range of reasons. Sometimes, what’s overwhelming to one person may not be overwhelming to another. Some common triggers that lead to a state of emotional overwhelm include:
- Financial challenges
- Demands of your job
- Problems in relationships
- A physical or health problem
- Loss of a loved one through death or divorce
- Major life changes, such as a move or job change
- Traumatic experiences
In addition, if you already have a mental health condition, such as PTSD or depression, you are at higher risk of feeling overwhelmed.
Signs of Feeling Overwhelmed
How can you tell if you’re emotionally overwhelmed? Some common signs that you’re reading this state include:
- Irrational thoughts – When you’re mentally overloaded, you can’t think logically about the challenges you’re facing.
- Cognitive fatigue – This makes you feel confused and makes decision-making and problem-solving difficult.
- Physical symptoms – You may experience a rapid heartbeat, breathing trouble, fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, and even dizziness as a result.
- Pessimism – The feeling that your situation is hapless with no end in sight is common.
- Over-the-top reactions – Small irritations can lead to explosive rage or a feeling of panic.
- Cognitive paralysis – If you find yourself stuck in a freeze response, it may be due to overwhelm.
- Mood changes – Rapidly shifting moods, especially if they lean toward negative states, are a sign.
- Withdrawal from friends and family – Feeling like no one cares, wants to help, or understands can cause you to stop spending time with the people you care about.
- Changes in sleep or appetite – If you’re sleeping too much, or unable to sleep, you may be emotionally overwhelmed. This state can also cause you to overeat or to eat too little.
How to Prevent Overwhelming Emotions
Life is full of ups and downs. It’s not always possible to avoid negative life experiences, so how can you prevent emotional overwhelm?
First, understand what is causing your emotions. When you can find the root cause, and if possible address it, you can move through the emotions before they become overwhelming. Finding and accepting the root cause can go far in helping you learn to cope.
Next, learn to practice healthy coping strategies. Practicing mindfulness or meditation, for instance, can help reduce your overwhelm and help you stay grounded even when problems arise. Setting boundaries can help lessen the load you have, which may prevent overwhelm.
If you know a particular situation triggers your emotional overwhelm, then consider avoiding that trigger. For example, a particularly pessimistic co-worker who is always predicting the demise of the company may trigger your anxiety, so you can reduce the amount of time you spend with them, if possible.
Another way to cope is to learn to change your thoughts. When you find yourself getting caught in negative feelings and emotions, you can quickly spiral into a state of overwhelm. Stop your thought patterns and ask yourself if they are rational and helpful, then take control over your thoughts to eliminate self-doubt and overthinking.
Finally, don’t be afraid to seek help if you can’t manage your emotions without becoming overwhelmed with your normal coping strategies. A mental health coach has the right training to help you guide your thinking through these scenarios, so you can make positive changes to avoid overwhelm.
How Mental Health Coaching Offers Support
Stopping the emotional overwhelm can feel nearly impossible when you are stuck in the cycle of stress. Jonette Dyer can help through the services of an experienced mental health coach. By helping you find the source of your stress, then work out the emotions surrounding that root cause, Jonette can help you get yourself to a more positive space. Whether the challenge is in your relationships, work, or personal life, she can help you gain perspective so you can stop the overwhelm and learn to thrive even with stresses in your life.
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