3 Simple Steps to go from Overwhelm to Productive

Right now we are very accustomed to going through the roller coaster of emotions. This particularly happens when we look at all of the genealogy projects we want to do, right? There’s so many good genealogy activities that will fill our time with joy, but sometimes we feel overwhelmed. There’s just so much to do! So let me share with you three things that help me go from overwhelm to productive.

Feel Overwhelm First

When I’m feeling overwhelmed it mostly comes from unknown changes in my circumstances. It can be a huge change such as this quarantine. Or a small change such as my husband working late, which puts all of our evening plans in jeopardy. Changes to our circumstances can lead to overwhelm. So when I get overwhelmed I don’t try to resist the feeling. I give myself permission to feel overwhelmed! So many of us want to vilify this emotion. It’s evil, we say, because it stops us from being productive. Yes, that can be true. However, when we take the time to feel that emotion, let it run its course, then we can get to a productive place sooner.

Stay in the Present Moment

The number one thing that works for me is to stay in the present moment. I worry easily so sometimes I don’t even notice that I’m worrying until I feel overwhelmed. Then that’s a clue for me to find my present moment and start thinking about what I’m grateful for right now. I use my five senses as much as I can to keep me in the present moment. If I can’t quite get to feeling grateful, then I use my five senses to just be present.

I look to see that my family is safe and happy. I hear the normal sounds around me, such as my refrigerator, the cars in the neighborhood, and my daughter’s tablet. My nose focuses on smelling in the current moment, whether it’s pleasant or not. My sense of taste doesn’t always get used during this practice. But the practice reminds me of reality and not what my imagination is trying to tell me. Sometimes my brain resists and wants me to stay in overwhelm. Mostly, though, I can stay in the present given enough time.

Talk with Someone When You Feel Overwhelm

I have learned to trust my husband with my irrational worries. I used to talk myself out of telling him my problems because I didn’t want to bother him with stuff. But now I feel more connected to him because I am being vulnerable. It doesn’t mean that I just complain everyday about what’s going wrong in our lives. It means that when overwhelm is preventing me from doing anything, especially the things that I love, then it’s time to talk it out with my husband. It’s a way for us to sort out what’s real and what’s imaginary. It helps us prioritize our next steps to fix the things we need to fix or not. It makes the shame and guilt come out of hiding in my brain and see the light. The shame of being overwhelmed is dissipated and I can now see the problem in real life.

If you don’t have someone you can trust, then journaling is the next best thing. Sometimes, I use these journals from Becky Higgins because they’re simple and convenient, but any journal will do. I love to free write in my journal and get all of my thoughts on paper where I can SEE them. Seeing them on paper helps me know that they’re not as scary as I was thinking they were in my head. Once when I was doing this exercise I saw what I wrote. I had let my brain believe that I was a weak person and these thought were huge and ugly. In reality, they weren’t! They were just normal thoughts from a human going through some stress. So I highly recommend getting your thoughts out, whether you choose to talk with someone or journal them.

Conclusion

Overwhelm is no joke! This emotion can stop us from doing what we want to do with our lives. However, you are more powerful than you think. But you have to let yourself feel the emotion first before you can move on to the other tools that will help you feel motivated again. Take an hour, a day, or three to get through the emotion. You don’t need to rush it. Then use these tools work for any goal you are wanting to achieve including genealogy.

In the meantime…good luck and happy hunting!

Tiffany

P.S. For another article about how to manage your mind with genealogy, then check out the one below…

• Change Your Genealogy Mindset and Get Things Done