Juggling a career, running a home, and dealing with general life admin comes with a lot of stress. Add kids, pets, or other dependents to the mix and you have a recipe for burnout. So many people balance a huge range of responsibilities and numerous roles in their lives. While it may be a normal struggle, it doesn’t make overwhelming stress any less challenging. 

For many, overwhelming stress comes from constantly rushing from one task to the next. This leaves little time to rest and recover. In turn, this creates the perfect environment for chronic stress. The good news is many methods and resources are available to help you cope.

Identify and Break Away From Unhealthy Habits

Many people have habits they turn to in times of stress. Some of these habits may be relatively harmless, while others can be seriously detrimental to your health. For example, maybe you take a break by scrolling social media for a few minutes. Nothing wrong with that. . . until it becomes a new source of stress. Between the toxic side effects of too much social media consumption and the risks that come with disconnecting too much from real life and your loved ones, this habit can easily feed your overwhelming stress rather than reduce it.

Some people can recognize on their own when they’ve adopted unhealthy coping mechanisms. Others only see a problem if someone else points it out. The first step is to be honest with yourself and think, “Is this actually helpful for me?”

Thankfully, you don’t have to work on breaking away from unhealthy habits on your own. You can find support from friends and loved ones, organized support groups, nonprofit associations, and professionals such as therapists and specialists at rehab centers.  

Identify What Triggers Your Stress Response

Looking for what causes your stress is another strategy for reducing overwhelm. Once you identify your triggers, you can practice conscientiously choosing a more positive reaction to them. How? Start small. At the end of your day, think about something that stressed you out. Remember your reaction to that trigger. How could you have responded differently? Reimagine the same scene playing out as if you chose a better reaction and had a more positive outcome.

The idea is to retrain your mind first. Then you can practice putting your new reactions to work. Over time, it becomes natural to take the action that will cause you the least stressful outcome. This is most helpful for those who can’t simply cut out the thing causing their stress.

Use Mindfulness to Strengthen Emotional Resilience

When overwhelm hits, it’s hard to think or feel anything outside of being overwhelmed. This is where mindfulness can help. Bring your attention to the present moment. Notice how you feel. Then release it from your mind. It can be helpful to pick something else to redirect your focus onto, such as the feeling of your fingers rubbing together, the thread pattern in your clothing, or a background noise like a fan.

This is an excellent way to find clarity and calmness. Not only does it help in the moment, but consistent practice will improve your mental and emotional resilience to moments of overwhelming stress. This will help you bounce back faster and reduce your chances of reaching burnout.