Calm the Mental Overwhelm

Since I became a mother, I feel like my brain is so full all the time. We carry a lot on our shoulders (and in our minds), keeping track of kids, the house, meals, family time, schedules, and all that. Yikes! Just writing that list made me feel a little stressed. Deep breath! I have a no-fail way to calm the mental overwhelm and that “undone” feeling swirling in your mind.

Your Brain Isn’t A Filing Cabinet!

When you keep that never-ending to-do list in your head, your mind slides from thought to thought, trying to prioritize. Unfortunately, our brains are not filing cabinets, and it is nearly impossible to categorize all of those thoughts into a rational, actionable plan.

Our thoughts are like butterflies, flitting about, while we chase them with a net in an attempt to get them to sit still. Not happening! So what is the solution when your brain-butterflies can’t sit still, and you just want to tell them to zip it?

Calm the Mental Overwhelm with the Brain Dump

Yes, it is time to put pen to paper, and do a brain dump. Sit down, and write down all of those to-do’s. There is something magical that happens when you get those swirling thoughts out of your brain. It’s almost peaceful!

My Brain Dump Process:

I like to use a pen and paper, but there is no right way to do this - you do you!
I write down everything that is taking up space in my brain; all of the tasks, to-do’s, errands, chores, etc.
Don’t censor yourself or worry about grammar - this is about getting the ideas OUT of your head.
Keep writing until your brain is empty and calm

You COULD keep the list as-is, but I like to take my list to the next level by moving things into categories (surprise!). By grouping similar tasks together, I can often combine tasks to get more done in less time - like going to the pharmacy and the post-office at the same time.

Category Examples:

Errands
Household chores
Household projects (hang curtains, fix a loose knob)
Work (ideas, tasks)
Kids (preschool forms, buy shoes)
Learning (books I want to read, or podcasts I want to listen to)

How to Quickly Tame Your List

Getting the ideas out of your head is one thing - your brain can calm down and stop trying to focus on alllll of the things at once - but now what do you do with this massive list? Having it down in front of you on paper is overwhelming in a new way.

“Um, I had no idea I had SO much to do! How will I ever get this done?!” Don’t worry, I’ve got you.

To prevent that panicky feeling from coming right on back, let’s make the list smaller! YAY! Go through the list, and for each item, decide if it is something you can:

Delegate: Ask a favour, ask your spouse or child, or pay someone else to do it
Delete: Maybe it doesn’t need to be done now, or even ever! Be ruthless here. Most things that feel urgest or necessary aren't
Do on your own
Then you can create a timeline that worlds for you! Just remember to give yourself lots of margin to get it done and be realistic!

You Did It!

Phew! By just taking a little bit of time, you have accomplished so much to calm the mental overwhelm that comes with the busy life that we all seem to have:

Relieved yourself of stress
Created a physical to-do list that you can revisit
Made the list smaller by deleting not-urgent or not-important things
Made a plan to delegate certain tasks, so you know they will get done without you spending too much time on them.

Remain Calm…

I know I may not be the norm here, but I’m the type of person who will see that list, and just want to get the whole thing done, no matter the time or the cost. I LOVE crossing things off a list! Buuuut that isn’t going to help the overwhelm. SO.

I have been working on this, and have found a mantra that is helping:

Nature never rushes, yet everything gets done.

I hope learning about this strategy (and hearing my current mantra!) has given you some lightness, knowing you have a plan that you can use today, and every day - to calm the mental Overwhelm.