5 Tips to Help you Stay Calm and Carry on When You’re Overwhelmed

Stress has a funny way of taking us by surprise and wrecking our calm demeanor. One minute we feel like we have everything under control, and the next minute we are panicking trying to find a matching sock before the kids run out the door for school. Here are 5 tips to help you stay calm and carry on when you’re overwhelmed:

Tip 1: Remove yourself from the situation even for a moment

If you are feeling overwhelmed, sometimes the best thing you can do is get outside of the situation for a moment to refocus. If you walk into the kitchen and it’s a mess, go outside for a minute and think. Give yourself that time to think and to make a plan. Once you have had a chance to think clearly, go back in there and handle it.

Tip 2: Start with small baby steps

When there are so many things we need to get done and only a little bit of time, it’s no wonder things can start to get out of hand quickly. It’s for this reason that tip two is to start with small baby steps. Break down your overwhelming tasks into small actionable steps and work toward those goals each day until they’re completed.

Tip 3: Make time for yourself to avoid burnout

By the time you hit the overwhelm stage, it’s usually too late and no amount of bubbles in the bath can fix it. Make time for yourself at least every week to help minimize the chances of burnout. Personally, I recommend taking time for yourself every single day. It can be just 5 minutes a day, but it will make a big difference. If you need to, try getting up just 10 minutes before the rest of the house and sneak in some you time every morning.

Tip 4: Learn to let things go

This is going to be the tip that will change your life! Your home doesn’t have to sparkle every time you walk through the door, grilled cheese can still be a great dinner in a pinch, and the clothes don’t always have to make it into the drawers. If you stress about every little thing that’s going wrong, you’ll never find peace! Instead, focus on the things that matter and learn to let go of the things that don’t.

Tip 5: Don’t try to do it all

If you try to do it all, you will likely fail at everything you do. Instead, it’s better to delegate the tasks you don’t have to do yourself and put your efforts towards the things you are great at. Let your kids and husband help out with dinner and even the housework. Let your husband pick up the kids from soccer practice sometimes, and make household tasks a family job. This will allow you to focus on only the things that require YOUR attention.

When you get overwhelmed, remember these five tips to help you re-center and let go of the stress you’re feeling inside.