Overwhelmed by the slightest things

anyone just feel overwhelmed by the slightest tasks or things? what do you all do to help that? I have been feeling like this since last week and I don't know if it's part of my recent depressive episode or if it's actually my anxiety rearing it's ugly head. I just don't have the energy.

My bro and sis in law are visiting from out of town next weekend and we have a ball game to go to as well as a road trip to Niagara Falls, and I feel like I am going to be a total wet blanket because of how overwhelmed I have been feeling. deep down inside I wish they would cancel the trip, but I feel wrong in thinking this.

sometimes just taking my daughter to work feels like the greatest chore. I had to get my sons to help me with yard work yesterday because I didn't feel up to it. will this pass? or do I need to use coping skills that I don't know about? just wanted to vent and get everyone's opinion or advice. thanks! hugs to all.

I get overwhelmed easily too. I have to make a step by step list to get through things sometimes.

I sometimes do, too, Jedi. You're definitely not alone in this. In general, I am quite sensitive to stress. Even when I'm in a great mood with tons of energy I realize, eventually, if I'm starting to bite off more than I can chew. Then I either freeze or panic. Of course if depression is involved, everything seems to be a mountain to climb. I agree with Miguel'smom that a small step by step plan is a good idea. I also have to prioritize and let some things go from my "list". I do try to push myself on some things, but demand that I not feel guilty scrapping others.

Sometimes such feelings do just pass, but I think it's always important to use coping skills to expedite their passing, make it easier, and to achieve a bit more in the interim.

Hi Jedi,

I am sorry you are experiencing these challenges.
It can feel so very frustrating and even disappointing.
I have been going through much of the same. I try to push through anyway. I know it is very difficult to impossible when one is depressed and/or feeling intense anxiety.
I find it much easier to break projects down into smaller steps and take the steps one-by-one. I take it moment-by-moment and try not to look at the entire project and/or think about the entire list of tasks all at once or over and over again. It all becomes increasingly overwhelming to me the more I obsess about it all.

When I had worked in Business Management, I had used a book entitled: The One Minute Manager. This is a very reader-friendly book of very few pages. There may be some tips I can extract to help me to manage myself better. I will have to review to see.

There is an interesting .pdf : https://paisleypark.com.au/site/wp-c...te-Manager.pdf

As far as I can see, this book is available for $1.99 or so now. There are plenty of .pdfs available outlining and/or commenting on this book/approach. Anyone might be able to understand the points made in the book without reading the book. Just a suggestion. I am going to review it myself. Today!

I hope you find an approach which helps you to achieve anything you need to achieve despite depression and anxiety. It may not be"easy," yet may be possible?
Please do not feel badly IF you are just not able to do more right now.

Hey Jedi, I am sorry this is happening. It must feel pretty awful. I like to try to reframe my thinking when I get overwhelmed. Like your trip for example. I would first break it down into small parts like others have suggested. So prepping, packing, driving, visiting, ball game, driving home, etc. Then I would try to reframe each of those in my mind. So maybe we take driving as an example. I would catch myself worrying about it and then actively stop. I would instead think back to a time when I was easily able to handle a drive. I would imagine a time when a drive was fun. I would remember what were the things I did to make it easy on myself. I would remember what things I enjoyed and what specifically made it fun. I would then remind myself that if it is possible to have an ok experience before, it is also possible to do this in the future. Essentially I'd try to replace worry and anxiety will knowing I was successful before and hope to do the same in the future.

Then, on the day of the drive I would keep these things in mind. If the drive gets rough I would then bring back the good memories. I would search for ways to incorporate the things I enjoyed before. I would also do what we might call mindful daydreaming about the better memories to somewhat block out painful parts of the new experience.

Try this method once and then if it is at least somewhat successful you can then carry the knowing it helps and hope it will assist you once again in the future.

You've got this Jedi. You are quite strong with the force

that's a great idea, MM. never thought to make a list of things I want to get done. thanks for the suggestion!

Many people know I am sharing a home with my mom right now. We have very different styles.

I tend to write down tasks to be done and then move on. Whenever I am aware of another task which needs attention, I add it to the "master list." Each evening, I look at the list and prioritize the tasks for the following day. This way, I am getting things done without obsessing about every/all tasks. It allows me to fully focus upon whatever I am doing at the time.

My mom handles things very differently and is often extremely overwhelmed. She reports she obsesses most of the night. She obsesses all day long. She does not get a break from feeling overwhelmed. Her habits in this regard exhaust me! No wonder it exhausts her! I have been trying to teach her to make a "master list" of tasks. From this list, she can prioritize tasks. She can then identify the tasks for the day. Her mind is free (if she lets it be free) to focus on today's goals. Then look at goals in the evening and make a list of tasks for the following day. Since she obsesses at night, I gave her a small pad and pen so she can write the task down and , hopefully, go to sleep. It all takes some practice, of course.

Just sharing what I find helpful on a daily basis.

letting some things go is a good idea. prioritizing is something that didn't occur to me. I will take that advice for sure. I do push myself on things that can wait until more important things get done. I do tend to bite off more than I chew like you mentioned. It's an old habit. I will try to get past the overwhelming feeling by thinking and taking things one at a time (and using coping skills). thanks, BirdDancer!

Thanks for the PDF, Wild Coyote and the kind words! I will have to try very hard to prioritize and break things down into steps. I am very guilty of overthinking and dwelling on an entire list of things that are coming or impending. and I think I create my own anxiety by not staying in the moment and just concentrating on one chore or task at a time. I just took my daughter to work and it was a nice warm and sunny ride. I overthink it and make myself sick with worry for no reason. also, like you said, I will try to not feel so bad or guilty when I am not up to something. I need to take more charge about my feelings when I am struggling to prioritize. thanks again for the great feedback Wild Coyote! much appreciated.

Wow, fern46, you give the best advice! re-framing, huh? that sounds very doable! I have had many great experiences taking road trips. but this year, particularly, we have taken 5 (2 of them made for dreadful driving) all together and I think my tank is empty (pardon the pun). I will indeed "reframe" things by thinking of better times when I did not experience anxiety and unease while taking road trips. also, I'm dwelling on my knee pain during the Niagara Falls trip where the last time we went, we did a lot of walking, and I don't get my shot until the week after. I do have good braces to wear, tho.

breaking everything into small parts is also good advice and it seems to be what everyone is recommending in this thread. I'll definitely be doing much more of that. thanks for the awesome feedback and suggestions, fern46. I do have this! the force runs strong in my family!

a master list is a great idea! I'll try that. it sounds like a sensible thing to figure out. I, too, like your Mother, obsess over things at night and when dwelling on these tasks or chores, I get overwhelmed and it affects my sleep very much. but like you said, I want my mind to be free and I have to LET it be free! makes so much sense. thank you so much for sharing again, Wild Coyote! much appreciated.

You’ve got some great suggestions that I think I’m going to try.
I’m easily overwhelmed.
Last night I met my son’s girlfriend for the first time. I was supposed to cook dinner. I made such a mess of it that we had to take her to the local pub for a meal. Sometimes I just have to laugh otherwise I’d cry.

Jedi,

You have gotten fantastic advice !! One of the reasons I love PC !! Such helpful truly caring people here

I’m also struggling with being overwhelmed with some stuff. I’m going to also use advice you have received.

I do hope things improve quickly for you so your able to get some enjoyment out of up coming events

That usually only happens when I stop my meds. I have so much going on in my head that Im trying to deal with that the slightest things just overwhelm me. Internally I am at limit but- the world moves on even as you are struggling and thats what is awful. Really tough

the advice here is fantastic, Christina! things are looking up on my end for now. getting better sleep and getting more things done during the day. just today I polished our floors and did some mopping as well as cleaning one of our bathrooms. things don't feel so overwhelming. I'm doing things one at a time and prioritizing things so I don't feel swamped. thanks Christina!

I can totally relate. a few days ago just taking my daughter to work felt so overwhelming to me, and even just some self care seems like such a chore. it is indeed tough to deal with when the world carries on around you and you feel stuck in place because you just can't deal. it is definitely awful. but, I have been feeling better and getting more things prioritized, so that feels good for a change.