{"id":1768,"date":"2021-06-14T14:58:24","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T21:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/?p=1768"},"modified":"2022-07-06T12:05:30","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T19:05:30","slug":"gaining-control-when-im-overwhelmed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/2021\/06\/14\/gaining-control-when-im-overwhelmed\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaining Control When I&#8217;m Overwhelmed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to gain control when my head is spinning. <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Productive tips for moms, humans, and homemakers about what to do next.<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:24% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fa-barboza-yRB81uWKK-M-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1771 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fa-barboza-yRB81uWKK-M-unsplash.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fa-barboza-yRB81uWKK-M-unsplash-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Article Outline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-19c6dc98-1857-48b2-bc3a-5042a65cc019\"><li><strong>My Story<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Questions to Ask<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Practical ways to solve overwhelm<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Simple Checklist<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>My Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The kids were gone&nbsp;at&nbsp;Home Depot with Jim. I had at least an hour to myself to do whatever I wanted.&nbsp; I was rested, motivated and ready to be productive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Was I productive? <strong>    NO.<\/strong>  Nope.. Not at all&#8230; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was wondering the house confused about what to do next, how to spend my time, and what was most important.&nbsp; Frustrated, I sat down to write out all the things to be done. <strong>The list kept growing and growing like a scary fairy tale monster.<\/strong> That was when I discovered the power of a Brain Dump.&nbsp;I realized that I was being torn in so many directions and confused by everything I was trying to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David Allen in his amazing book <a href=\"https:\/\/gettingthingsdone.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Getting Things Done<\/a> talks about keeping information out of your head in a system that you can deal with.\u00a0 Keep it in a place where you can\u00a0actually do\u00a0something with it.\u00a0 The human brain is great at processing information, being creative with it, but NOT holding it.\u00a0 It is a terrible filing cabinet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Essentialism-Disciplined-Pursuit-Greg-McKeown\/dp\/0804137404\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Essentialism&amp;qid=1621636142&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1\">Essentialism<\/a> by&nbsp;Greg McKeown&nbsp;he stresses the importance about being in the moment. What is happening right now?&nbsp;&nbsp;When we know what our current situation is, we can move forward. A false reality does not help anyone. Self-awareness brings freedom and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I decided to take these principles and create a checklist to follow when I get stuck. Questions to ask myself at times like this when my head is spinning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:37% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"959\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/hannah-olinger-8eSrC43qdro-unsplash-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1777 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/hannah-olinger-8eSrC43qdro-unsplash-2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/hannah-olinger-8eSrC43qdro-unsplash-2-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>We all have days when we feel off or directionless and the way that we regain focus matters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What we tell ourselves on those days shape our inner dialog. What we do when we are frustrated becomes part of who we are. Our small decisions build patterns and a lifestyle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do we gain control in a calm, thoughtful way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do we explode in anger, react to those around us like a selfish child, or seep sarcasm?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or do we give up and end up on the couch wasting time?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know which ones I want to say are true about me and the others that unfortunately my family sees way too often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To change behavior, we need new ideas and new tools to try.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Questions to ask:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>What is most important right now?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>What is vying for my attention?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>How can I be kind to my future self?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>What can I do now to make tomorrow (this week) easier?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Get the future out of your head.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>What might you want to do someday as a result of today?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"966\" data-id=\"1780\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/meg-boulden-X0G0MqtecWI-unsplash-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/meg-boulden-X0G0MqtecWI-unsplash-2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/meg-boulden-X0G0MqtecWI-unsplash-2-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Practical ways to solve overwhelm:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Brain Dump<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Get all ideas out of my head and onto paper.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This looks like a scribbled list of all the things I am thinking about. No order just one after the other.<\/li><li>The next step can be putting items together (like all the errands or all the phone calls)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Take each item written down, define a next action, and write that down.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/gettingthingsdone.com\/2020\/06\/the-gtd-approach-to-linking-next-actions-and-projects\/\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Next Action&#8221; is a term from GTD:<\/a> Very specific wording that involves thinking while writing the list.<\/li><li>Next action example: _________ (verb) __________ (noun) _________ (location)<\/li><li>Example #1: call Shawna at (602) 555-1243 about Vet appt.\u00a0 \/\u00a0 NOT: dog to vet\u00a0 (can I get in the car and go to the vet right now? Which vet am I going to? When do I schedule the appt. for?)<\/li><li>Example #2: get Meow Mix at Grocery store\u00a0 \u00a0 \/\u00a0 NOT: cat food<\/li><li>Example #3: grade Chemistry Chap 8 Test \u00a0 \u00a0 \/\u00a0 NOT: school paperwork<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Why does this matter? <strong>When you do all the thinking at the time of writing it down it is much easier to take action. <\/strong>The thinking has been completed and you only have to do the task. No decision making needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With purpose and calm work through the list of tasks most important right now.\u00a0One at a time.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Do all\u00a02-minute\u00a0tasks first.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li>Group the tasks together that use similar tools, locations or energy. (errands, phone calls, cleaning)<\/li><li>Choose the tasks that are bothering you the most. Is it the dirty floor, or the stack of UPS boxes?<\/li><li>What can you do right now that you cannot do later? Do you need quiet for a task? Brain power?<\/li><li>What can you delegate to someone else? Are you the only one who can make dinner today or clean?<\/li><li>Ask for help! <ul><li>Having a community means a give-and-take relationship. Call a friend or family member.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Rest &amp; Sabbath<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We also have days that we just need some downtime or some rest. We all need a re-boot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What is truly restful and restorative for you?<\/li><li>Go out on a walk in the neighborhood with the kids, or go hiking on a trail nearby. <\/li><li>Smell nature and take pictures of plants. <\/li><li>Act like you are on vacation for an afternoon.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I am learning how to create an atmosphere of rest. I am making space for life-giving activities amidst all the things that my weekly schedule holds. I tend to be overly productive and not very fun. But each step I take toward resting well is a healthy step in the right direction. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/category\/sabbath-living\/\">see here for more Sabbath articles<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The <strong>Overwhelmed Checklist:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left is-style-default has-border-color has-text-color\" style=\"border-color:#d9d9d9;color:#000000\"><blockquote><p><strong>How to gain control when my head is spinning.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p><p>Stop. Breathe.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Stretch and take 5 deep breaths.<\/p><p>Get present in the moment.&nbsp;What can I see right now?<\/p><p>What is most important right now?&nbsp;<\/p><p>What is vying for my attention?&nbsp;<\/p><p>How can I be kind to my future self?&nbsp;<\/p><p>What can I do now to make tomorrow (and this week) easier?&nbsp;<\/p><p>Brain Dump.&nbsp;&#8211; write it all out.<\/p><p>Get the future out of your head.&nbsp;<\/p><p>What might you want to do someday as a result of today?&nbsp;<\/p><p>Get all ideas out of my head and onto paper.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Take each item written down, define a next action, and write that down.&nbsp;<\/p><p>With purpose and calm work through the list of tasks most important right now.&nbsp;<\/p><p>One at a time.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Do all&nbsp;2-minute&nbsp;tasks first.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p>Then do the tasks that bother me the most.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>My hope is that a few of these questions are helpful to you on those frustrating days lacking direction.&nbsp;&nbsp;That you can choose a better way to deal with overwhelm this week. You can break unhealthy patterns and begin a new way of dealing with frustrations. You are stronger than you realize and the healthier version of you is just around the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am cheering for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:100\">You got this! &#8211; April<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><em>See this article for more: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/2021\/06\/21\/declutter-clear-mind\/(opens in a new tab)\">Why Decluttering Clears my Mind<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"784\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"229\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-784x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-784x1024.jpg 784w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-768x1003.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-1176x1536.jpg 1176w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-1568x2048.jpg 1568w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-1560x2038.jpg 1560w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_3730-2-scaled.jpg 1960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"1150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2446-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2446-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2446-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2446-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2446-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2446-1560x1040.jpg 1560w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2446.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"1144\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_20200619_184347-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_20200619_184347-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_20200619_184347-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_20200619_184347-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_20200619_184347-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_20200619_184347-1560x2080.jpg 1560w, https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_20200619_184347-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to gain control when my head is spinning. Productive tips for moms, humans, and homemakers about what to do next. Article Outline: My Story Questions to Ask Practical ways to solve overwhelm Simple Checklist My Story The kids were gone&nbsp;at&nbsp;Home Depot with Jim. I had at least an hour to myself to do whatever&hellip; <\/p>\n<div class=\"readmore-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/2021\/06\/14\/gaining-control-when-im-overwhelmed\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read <\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stc_notifier_status":"sent","_stc_notifier_sent_time":"2021-06-14 15:56:37","_stc_notifier_request":false,"_stc_notifier_prevent":false,"_stc_subscriber_keywords":"","_stc_subscriber_search_areas":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[69,68,67,57,30,44],"class_list":["post-1768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mom-life","tag-checklist","tag-gtd","tag-overwhelm","tag-productivity","tag-productivity-for-moms","tag-self-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1768"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4598,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions\/4598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}