Therapy for anxiety & overwhelm in Colorado Springs
I was inspired to write this blog when I looked at my calendar and saw that I’m heading into an unusually busy and hectic month. I was actually thinking… when will I write a blog over the next four weeks? There’s no time! I can’t do it all…
Then I thought… I talk to clients who have this feeling all the time. I can write a blog about this exact thing that we all feel from time to time - I can’t do it all.
Then I gave myself permission to make this blog shorter and simpler than usual. It’s what I can realistically do right now.
If you’re at all like me, when time gets crunched you start looking for ways to be even more efficient - to drive a little harder and work a lot more to still get everything done, and to the same standard you usually keep. You might even feel a little, well, nuts if we’re honest in the midst of it.
But sometimes the answer isn’t just better time management, or less sleep, or no fun… sometimes the answer is accepting that you actually can’t do everything.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by everything you have to do, here are three ways to make a busy season more manageable.
Decide what actually has to be done
This is the time to get down to prioritizing. You’re not a machine, and if you try to run yourself like one you’re likely to burn out and melt down. There are likely some things you can let go of during this season.
My favorite thing to move to the bottom of the priority list during unusually busy times is washing the sheets. I know, this is a vulnerable confession, but it illustrates the point. In the grand scheme of things, and compared to doing my job well and being present with my family at the end of the day, I find it just doesn’t matter that much if the sheet washing gets a little neglected.
When we’re overwhelmed, everything can start to feel equally important. But it isn’t. What genuinely needs your attention during this season? What can wait? What could simply not happen?
You can start by asking yourself this question to sort priorities: If I could only do three things well right now, what would they be?
This isn't about lowering your standards permanently. It's about choosing where your standards matter most right now.
Look for places to adapt rather than quit
All-or-nothing thinking can cause us to carry way more stress than we need to. Maybe you don’t have to do everything exceptionally well or abandon it entirely. Maybe you can simplify some things so that they still get done, but in a way that’s more manageable for a period of time.
For example, I still do wash my sheets when busy. I just take the pressure off myself to keep up with it according to my normal schedule. And this blog - I’m still writing it, but instead of a lengthy and in depth post that requires research and great attention to detail, this particular writing flowed onto the page more easily.
You can ask yourself: What is the simpler version of this that still accomplishes what matters?
Maybe dinner gets simpler. Exercise could become a 20-minute walk instead of an hour at the gym. The house might not be as clean. You may say no to something you'd ordinarily enjoy. Perhaps a project moves forward at 70% rather than 100%.
You're not abandoning what's important. You're changing the form temporarily.
Let your best look different for a while
This is probably the hardest adjustment, but the most relieving, to get to. If your normal standard is performing at a 10 out of 10, you may need to adjust your expectation of what your “best” looks like for a period of time. Maybe you need to recognize that, given all you’re juggling, a 7 or 8 out of 10 is good enough until things level out again. This doesn’t mean you don’t care or you’re showing up poorly - it means you’re giving yourself the latitude to be imperfect. To just be human.
Your best is contextual. Your best during a spacious week is different from your best during a week when you're teaching, working, parenting, managing a household, traveling, dealing with unexpected problems, or simply carrying more than usual in whatever way that appears. You can go back to a 10/10 in more areas when things level out. But you can save your sanity in the meantime by easing the pressure for perfection.
Doing your best doesn't mean producing the same result under every set of circumstances. It means responding as well as you reasonably can to the circumstances you're actually in.
What if feeling overwhelmed is temporary?
A busy season doesn't necessarily require a complete life overhaul. Sometimes you need to recognize, This month is unusually full. I'm going to decide what matters most, make some things easier, let some things go, and trust that I'll have more capacity again.
It’s just a season. It will pass, and when it does, you can reassess and readjust to what the new season requires.
