Feel Overwhelmed? Try This 30-Second Technique

Feeling overwhelmed literally makes parts of your brain shut down. You might experience cognitive fatigue, sensory overload, burnout, physical exhaustion, a flood of thoughts, confusion, or the stress response, you may feel anxious, sweaty, teary, or panicky alternating in quick succession with wanting to give up, shut down, curl up into a ball, procrastinate and avoid everything.

So here’s what to do instead.
Slow it down. Take a deep breath, and grab a large piece of paper and a pen. Now do a brain dump, take everything in your head and write it down on paper, it doesn’t need to make sense, it doesn't need good handwriting or grammar, just put it on paper, make a list or a diagram if you want, just take all the things in your head and put them onto the paper.

Usually people feel better after that, but now we’re going to do one better…
Cross off everything that’s not in your control - news stories, your bosses’ attitude, the weather, your mother in law’s opinions, your child’s mood…cross off anything that’s not in your realm of influence. Now if, for example, there’s something you need to do about your child’s behavior- like enforce a boundary or something- cross off- Tommy’s tantrums, you can’t control his feelings, instead write down “I need to enforce a boundary, and it’s so hard”.

After you’ve crossed off everything that you can’t control, and replaced a few of them with things in your control, it’s a terrible idea to try to do them all at once, so just take a deep breath, slow yourself down, and circle one action you’re going to take.

Then set the paper aside and get back to life, do that one thing, or do what you need to be doing in the present moment.

Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

[Godisgreat-]

Journaling is so helpful. I’ve been able to see how unhealthy my thought process is, by actually reading them. Thank you for the reminder. I tend to forget about this. God please bless and heal everyone here!!❤

[Lanesra]

Why am i so obsessed with control? It doesn't matter what it is, i just can't bring myself to cross off anything on this list...

[nurrizq]

1. brain dump - write everything on paper
2. cross out everything that you've written that is not in your control
3. replace everything that is in your control
4. circle one of those action that you can control and do that.

[gybx]

I'm 64 and it seems the older I get, the more overwhelmed problems make me feel.

[leslieg]

Thank you!!! I struggle everyday with my anxiety, and out of control thoughts. Usually bedtime is the worst. I started keeping paper by my bed, and writing down my thoughts is helping! I need to be more consistent, but it is helping!!!! Thank you so much. Your videos are really helping me.

[lilyneva]

Thank you, Emma. This felt like exactly what I needed right now! I was literally in the process of giving up. In addition, just thinking of you or seeing your face, or hearing your voice somehow always calms me. It’s like having a mature, rational, dependable big sister or close friend. And you always make me feel like there is kindness and goodness in the world.

[sadistickitten]

Definitely, nighttime is the worst but I try to write down my thoughts & worries during the day so I'm not up at night. Brain dumps are super helpful!

[schmitty]

A lot of us can't slow down because the bosses and managers won't let us slow down. They're always on and pressuring us to do more than we can. The problem is management pushing us. They don't care about our boundaries and it's insensitive and inhumane.

[earthzeroapothecary]

I've been trying to bring myself back into heart and brain coherence and do deep breathing exercises, breathing in love and pushing out all the negative energy.

[alliwhite]

I'm irritated BECAUSE everything is in my control

[bedheadacademic]

my BetterHelp therapist demanded I told her the method I used in an attempted suicide after I told her I was uncomfortable talking about it at that moment. I had only been assigned to her a few hours prior and she was already disrespecting my boundary. She said she needed to know in order to understand why I did it. It made me wish the attempt was successful.

[DaniqueEmiliaSteinfeld]

Hey Emma, this technique can sometimes work, but sometimes it makes me stressed again or more to think of everything and see it all in a huge list.

[GinaMazzola]

Put everything in your head down on paper....that in of itself is too overwhelming a task. I can't even get to that step.

[sheilabroccoli]

Have anxiety EVERY day, am also agorophobic, I journal every day, Thanks for this, Very helpful🙂

[onyinyejm]

The cognitive fatigue is hitting me, can barely stay awake and feel like i am being crushed under the overwhelming work and expectations. i know journaling helps, but i wish i had more help and support in life.

[SoccerManiac]

I started watching your videos during the beginning of the pandemic when I was dealing with an avalanche of problems that I had been avoiding my whole life, and I was honestly not sure if I was going to make it. It has been 3 years, and I can finally look at myself in the mirror and tell that guy that I love him for every piece of who he is- finally realizing that I am already the person I wished I would be all those years ago, my own hero. Thank you for your work, and I wish you peace ❤

[KitsyAirey]

Thank!!!! Feeling overwhelmed lately with 4 kids (2 special needs/differently autistic kids), home and my own anxiety. This helps so much much

[FeminineLogos]

Hi there, hope you’ll see my comment one day. I’ve been so invested in psychology, self development and neuro science for a few years now. Of course, all the professors were pretty good (actually great). But when I found you, I just felt like I found my second home. I felt safe. It felt personal. Thank you.

[vinayjoshi]

when you don't have enough information on anything just observe just sit back and watch
usually when such situations happen and I don't have enough information I end up catastrophizing because I want to think things through
but now I have made a rule if thinking something through make me uneasy and catastrophized I don't have enough information and I should just watch

[cherylstone]

This also has been a Godsend for me to help my son with severe adult ADHD in his university studies. It calmed him down when he was overwhelmed.