Marcel Deer
There are days when you feel a wave of emotions because there are things in your life that are just too difficult to handle. You’re quick to anger, tired all the time, and you don’t know how to cope anymore.
You’re probably overwhelmed and stressed out.
Life can throw many unexpected curveballs our way, and when we struggle to maintain balance, that’s when things spiral out of control.
If you recognize these 11 signs, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed in life, and it’s time to do something about it.
1) You feel exhausted
When it feels like the world is on your shoulders, it really weighs you down. Physically and mentally, you’re exhausted, and even the most minor responsibilities take a significant amount of effort to manage.
You don’t necessarily have to experience a tough day at work or a sleepless night to feel emotionally fatigued. If you’re under the impression that your life is out of control, you’re under constant strain. It takes all of your energy just to get out of bed every morning!
Can you relate?
If so, it’s time to prioritize what’s important by organizing your responsibilities. By breaking things down into smaller and more manageable tasks, it’s less overwhelming.
Before you reach the point of complete exhaustion, take steps today to regain control of your life.
2) You isolate yourself
Are you pulling yourself out of bed in the morning? Here we go. Another day, another grind. It’s hard to face the day when things become too much to handle.
If you’re avoiding going out with family and friends, you prefer to be alone, and most days you lack the motivation to be in the presence of others, it could be a sign that life is too much.
Isolation is not the answer.
Spending extended periods on your own and avoiding the company of others increases your risk of developing depression.
We all want some alone time when things get tough, so if you feel overwhelmed, do something constructive to create a sense of joy and revitalization.
A candlelit bubble bath, yoga, meditation, or a day in nature are simple ways to energize your mind, body, and spirit so you can cope with life’s ups and downs.
3) Your moods have changed
Usually, you don’t allow the little things to get you down, but lately, you’re more annoyed and irritated than ever before. You’re not sure why you feel so agitated, and it’s affecting your personal and professional relationships.
The more overwhelmed you feel, the more irritable, agitated, and impatient you become.
As life feels like it’s unraveling, it negatively affects our emotions. We need to maintain a sense of control, and when we can’t cope, stressful situations make us impatient or cause us to snap at others.
4) You put yourself down
When life gets you down, you have a tendency to become negative. You complain about a lot of things, and you become highly critical of yourself and others.
Do you feel anxious or lost?
Emotional stress can take over your thoughts and emotions, creating a sense of hopelessness. This filters into everything you do, including your self-image, affecting your self-esteem.
If you always feel like a failure when things go wrong, you’re overwhelmed. This leads to growing negativity.
The reason you feel so negative is because you’re frustrated by a lack of control in your life. You develop a sense of hopelessness, and when you make a mistake or can’t complete something, you criticize yourself.
If you recognize this sign, it’s important to find ways to ease your anxiety and work on your confidence.
5) You struggle to stay focused
The more imbalanced you feel, the more you try to distract yourself, but nothing sticks. You throw yourself into work, but you just can’t remain focused.
What is going on?
You’re overwhelmed and finding it hard to concentrate. You have a hundred and one thoughts and struggle to remain focused or motivate yourself to stick to a task and complete it.
You might become more forgetful and do things like constantly misplace your keys, forget the names of people you’ve met, or forget important dates and events.
A lack of motivation also stops you from completing tasks, and you find yourself procrastinating. On the other end of the scale, trying to work on multiple projects at once when it’s hard to stay focused can lead to burnout.
6) You’re extremely sensitive
I’ve had moments where I’ve felt so overwhelmed that I’ve just wanted to fall to my knees and cry. But I knew something was seriously wrong when a colleague at work pointed out an error in my report, and I became so defensive about such a small problem that I ended up yelling at them in the office.
When you are overwhelmed by life, everything is too much to deal with. You become more sensitive, emotional, and defensive about insignificant issues; sometimes, you feel personally attacked if someone finds fault with you.
You think that you’re coping on good days, but things change within hours and leave you feeling like you’re absolutely falling apart.
It’s a sign you need change.
Take a closer look within and think about what is bringing you down and making you feel so emotional. Are you overworked, struggling financially, or do you need a vacation?
If you’re having trouble understanding your emotions, always reach out to a professional therapist who can objectively work through your concerns with you.
7) You’re lashing out
When life gets you down, you’re not good company. Operating under a high level of emotional stress makes you angry and agitated. Because of your short fuse, you tend to lash out at others, from shouting and kicking objects to experiencing road rage.
You’re not usually an angry person, but you find yourself getting increasingly irritated, and that causes you to lash out.
Changes in your personality from calm and collected to taking jabs or becoming vengeful are indications that something in your life is bothering you.
It’s definitely not a healthy approach and can destroy relationships. If you’re lashing out, you need to consider the impact of stress, tension, and anxiety on your life.
8) Your eating habits change
You’ll notice that during times of stress and anxiety, your eating habits change.
I know that when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I reach for unhealthy snacks or make it through the day on nothing but caffeine.
A poor diet can affect your mood and your immune system. Signs that your body is running down include struggling to fight off a cold or frequently becoming ill.
9) Your sleeping patterns are interrupted
Along with a poor diet, chronic anxiety, and stress manifest as interrupted sleeping patterns. When you have a lot on your mind, you push yourself and survive on very little sleep, or you reach a state where all you want to do is rest.
Don’t reach burnout.
Anxiety can motivate us to do things, but when it becomes chronic and overwhelming, we eventually shut down and burn out. Getting to the source of your anxiety is the only way to restore your sleeping patterns.
Because problematic sleep can have a negative impact on your physical and mental health, always address these issues once you recognize them.
10) You’re always in a rush
There just isn’t enough time in a day. Before you know it, the day is over, and you haven’t gotten through half of your to-do list.
You feel overwhelmed by it all.
Oddly enough, even when you don’t have any pressing matters to attend to, you still feel like you don’t have time.
Your thoughts and behaviors are in a constant rush, making it impossible for you to relax and enjoy your time off. The less time you have to relax, the more stress and tension take hold.
If you notice that you’re rushing things along, take a step back and breathe. When you’re only motivated by stress, life passes you by. It’s important to slow things down by asking for help or simplifying your life.
11) You lack self-care
Have you noticed that you’re spending less time caring for yourself? You used to establish boundaries so that you could prioritize your needs, but lately, you seem to be taking care of everyone else but yourself.
Self-care is about doing things that bring you happiness and fulfillment.
We all need time to ourselves to relax and restore our emotional reserves. But when time for yourself is filled with responsibilities from work to family life, it becomes impossible to look after yourself.
Feeling overwhelmed in life can only lead to two things: unhappiness and eventual burnout. That’s because you feel angry, emotional, and anxious, and eventually, your emotions affect your relationships with others.
The first step to regaining control is recognizing the signs that you’re feeling overwhelmed in life. The second step is to give yourself a break by asking for help when you need it.
Sometimes, we take on far too much or don’t rely on the support available to us, and we are overcome by anxiety and stress.
Only you can make the change to prioritize your well-being by getting help, organizing your responsibilities, and finding the healthiest ways of coping.
