It happens. Those days when you feel that nothing's working the way you'd like it to. Too many phone calls to make; too many emails to answer; blog posts to write; appointments to make; networking meetings to attend; clients to deal with; and more. Yet nothing's getting done. Everyone else seems to have it all together and you feel that you're the only one with chaos inside your head.

For me, this manifests in two forms. Either I get paralyzed and do nothing and end up feeling guilty for not being productive. Or I scramble to do ANYTHING just so that I feel I'm in action but often waste time on things that aren't that important - and that adds to the overwhelm.

I have a 3-step process that I've taught many of my clients when they're in a funk.

First: Identify what's going on
Journaling works well for me (also called free-form writing). Get all those thoughts out of your head. Dump them on paper so they're not clogging up your brain. Don't worry about grammar or good writing. You're the only one who's going to read it.

Second: Take a step back
Did you get any insights while writing? Maybe clarity on what's underneath the overwhelm? Is it simply too much to do and too little time? Or is it that you don't know what to do next? Or you feel lost and need someone to hold your hand and guide you? Or you have no direction so feel stymied by it all? Or something else? Once you have an idea of what's causing the overwhelm, then you can do something about it.

Third: Decide how to deal with it
It helps to break the possibilities into 4 areas::

• Physical:
  This can be as simple as taking a walk around the block or engaging in your favorite form of exercise. Sometimes that's enough to work some of that stuck, icky energy out of your body and get you into a different frame of mind.
• Mental:
  What's the story you're telling yourself about your situation? How can you shift that? What kind of support do you need? Would it help to talk it out with someone such as a business advisor or coach? Someone in your camp who can lend an ear without judging you? Or who you trust to give you advice if that's what you need?
• Emotional:
  Is the situation triggering an emotional response? Again, do you need to talk this through with someone? If so, who can you turn to who'll listen without judging?
• Spiritual:
  Are you feeling disconnected from your source of inspiration or guidance, whatever that is for you? How can you reconnect with what feeds your spirit?

Notice that none of these things have to do with actually getting to the items you have to do. Instead, they help you deal with your responses to the situation and give you the clarity that can help you make a decision on your next action.

I'm sure there are lots more ways to do this. These are mine. Try them and let me know how they work for you!

Copyright 2017 Maggie Dennison