4 Simple Steps to Go From Stuck, Overwhelmed, and Stressed Out to Feeling Calm, Organized and Successful

Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, frustrated and stressed? If you are the average individual (or above-average) these situations may occur with some regularity and they can really halt progress. If you are a solo practitioner or small business owner these feelings and situations may seem overblown because there is so much riding on them.

You know you “should” be doing this or that and yet you feel no motivation to get it done. Sometimes it seems like there is so much to do it feels impossible so you put it off…again. Then you feel bad because you did not accomplish what you wanted to. And so the cycle goes until it becomes a mountain that has to be dealt with or a crisis that is unavoidable which leads to more stress. It can be a negative, self defeating circle that can even grow to have physical ramifications.

So where do you start? If you pick even one of the points below to work on, you will begin to make headway and break the circle of procrastination, stress and self defeat. Instead you will feel a sense of accomplishment, motivation and satisfaction that will lead you to “want” to continue making positive changes. What’s more, if you pick just one step below and work on it for a couple of weeks at least, before moving on to the next step, it will begin to feel like it has always been a part of your routine. You will naturally want to continue thus breaking the circle.

1. The first thing you want to do is to close your eyes, take a few calming breaths and know that there is nothing wrong with you and that by taking this process slowly you can solve the problem. Stop beating up on yourself and start allowing that you are human. Forgive yourself so you can move on.

2. Step 2 may take a couple of weeks. It’s well worth it because it will lead to identifying “what” triggers your yucky feelings. Is it a certain project, a place, a person or something else that leads you to feel stuck, frustrated, overwhelmed and/or stressed out? Pay attention to the “what.” Make a note of every time the yucky feeling happens until you can spot a pattern.

3. Once you know “what” triggers the negative feelings, you will need to pay closer attention. This step is very important. You will want to identify the specific negative feeling that is getting triggered for you. What is the underlying feeling? To find out ask yourself “what am I feeling overwhelmed (fill in the blank with your feeling) about” or “what is it about feeling ____________ that I don’t like”? You will get valuable insights that can lead you to take corrective action.

4. Write your responses down and decide if you know how to remedy the situation on your own or if you need to seek outside assistance.

Once you arrive at step 4 you will be well on your way to feeling calm, organized and taking the action you need to achieve your goals.