We all have to deal with feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed from time to time. Anxiety can make you feel overwhelmed, and feeling overwhelmed can make you feel anxious. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, that means all of your energy has traveled upward through your body, and is now pressing down on you. This is what often leads to feelings such as stress, like you’re spinning wildly out of control, and overthinking.
That overthinking happens because your mind has been filled with thoughts and chemicals that now make you think, think, think. This only makes your anxiety worse, intensifies that overwhelmed feeling, and so on and so forth. It’s a vicious cycle, and it can happen to all of us. And although there’s no way to completely prevent these feelings from happening (though it would be nice), there are ways to cope with anxiety.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, the key is to bring down that high, intense energy that’s pressing down on you into your body and to the ground again. Keep on reading to learn exactly how you can do that with these 11 natural hacks to curb anxiety.
11 natural hacks to curb anxiety:
1. Get moving
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, everything seems so much bigger than it is; you can get stuck going ’round and around in circles in your own head debating what to do, which only roots you to one spot even more and makes your anxiety worse.
One of the best things to do when this happens is stop thinking and simply start doing. It doesn’t matter what you do—it can be cleaning or cooking, jumping in the shower, or exercising. The movement is key here because it’s going to help get you out of your own head.
2. Pay attention to one thing
It’s easy for our minds to wander, but when you’re feeling overwhelmed, try to really pay attention to and focus on one thing.
For example: If you’re cleaning, really focus on cleaning—feel the movement of your body, watch the area as it gets cleaner and cleaner, notice how well your cleaning tools may or may not be working, and so on and so forth. The key is to really pay attention to what you’re doing. This is going to help center your mind, body, and spirit, and help that energy that’s pressing down on you come down to a normal level again.
3. Take some deep, easy breaths
Taking the time to focus on your breath is going to help calm down your mind and body and help you ground yourself again. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try taking 4 deep and easy breaths; you can also do this as you transition from one activity to the next. It’s extremely grounding, and is a good practice for everyone, even those who aren’t suffering from anxiety or feeling overwhelmed.
4. Do grounding exercises
Using the energy of the Earth is a great way to bring your energy down again. Try doing something that allows your bare feet to be firmly placed on the ground. This could be anything from going for a walk on the beach barefoot (or anywhere, really), or even doing hip thrusts.
Whatever you do, be sure to close your eyes and try to imagine the grounding energy of the Earth pressing, flowing, and coming into your body.
5. Make a list
Overwhelmed by everything on your to-do list? Try writing it down! Write down everything you need to get done, then create a list that tackles them in the order of most to least important.
6. Take a step back
If you’re having difficulty focusing and your mind feels like it’s going 100 miles an hour, take a step back. Go for a walk and look at nature, read a book, listen to a podcast, go to a movie or go for a drive, etc. Do something that will stimulate your mind and distract it for a little bit. Afterwards, your head will be a clearer, and you’ll feel better able to handle what you need to.
7. Recognize how you feel and sit with it
It can be difficult trying to sit with uncomfortable emotions, but when you’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed, it’s important to recognize what your feeling and try to sit with it. Think about it what this emotion may be trying to tell you. Perhaps it’s trying to let you know that you’ve completely overloaded yourself and need a break. As difficult as it may be, when you’re experiencing emotional, physical, spiritual and mental disruption, doing this is key.
8. Ask your body for a clue
Your body has more wisdom than your brain. When we’ve been disrupted somewhere—either mentally, physically or emotionally—our bodies will react. Ask your body to give you a clue on what you can do to feel better.
In times of stress, my neck pain might get worse and my shoulders might raise up and tense; I’ll also sometimes get bad stomachaches, which is perhaps one of the most common symptoms of stress on the body in everyone. When I experience these symptoms, my body’s usually telling me to take a step back and prioritize my mental well-being, rather than squeezing everything else in and putting myself last.
9. Meditate
Meditation is one of the absolute best ways to deal with feeling overwhelmed and anxious because it allows you to clear your head completely. Clearing your mind allows unnecessary thoughts and worries to exit, and opens up the opportunity for new, better, and more helpful thoughts to enter. It gives you clarity like no other.
If you’re a beginner, start out with 5-10 minutes of mediation, or use a guided meditation to get started. I absolutely love the guided meditations from Tara Brach on her YouTube channel.
10. Surrender
Letting go and relinquishing all control can be very challenging. No one ever wants to feel completely out of control, which is why most of us tend to thrive on structure and schedules. It’s common to want to hold onto that control when you’re feeling overwhelmed because you feel like you’re spinning out of control.
In times like this, it’s important to surrender. Try saying to yourself or someone else: “I’m out of control.” Try and let go of everything. Sit back for a few minutes and breathe. Of course this is easier said than done, but really surrendering and relinquishing that control will help that energy come down and back into your body again, ultimately grounding you. Be gentle, compassionate, and loving towards yourself in times like this.
11. Seek professional help
I really wish there wasn’t such a stigma surrounding therapy still in this day and age; I truly think it’s something that every single one of us can benefit from. If you’re struggling with some anxiety, a crippling anxiety disorder and/or feeling overwhelmed, consider seeking professional help through a therapist. A therapist will be unbiased and able to help you through whatever you’re struggling with; they’ll also be able to give you even more tools and ways of coping with anxiety. There is no shame in seeking professional help. In fact, your future self will thank you for taking such good care of your mind, body, and soul.
