What to Do When You're Overwhelmed With the Task in Front of You
By Sithara Stohr, LSW
Pause and ask yourself these four questions:
Can I eliminate or adjust parts of this task to make it more accessible?
Are there tasks that typically require more energy from me?
How can I best use the energy I have today?
Is it possible to do just a part of this task?
Sometimes it's difficult to start something unless you know it will turn out perfectly. This can make any task feel overwhelming and lead to not wanting to do it at all. It is rare that anyone has the capacity to do everything, and even more rare that everything is completed to stereotypical perfection.
Whether your task feels complete or incomplete, big or small, perfect or imperfect - the goal is to better understand your capacity and adjust tasks to this.
Listening to your body and mind can help you give what you have space to give to the task at hand. No matter how much you can give to a task, know that it is filled with the love, care, and intentionality of doing what you can.
Let's talk about the hard stuff.
Artesian Collaborative is a mental health practice based in Chicago. We excel at guiding individuals and teams through tense and difficult topics - and helping them feel good about it.
Our therapists provide mental health counseling for individuals, couples, and families. Our team also leads corporate and community trainings in the areas of Stress Management, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, and Relational Leadership.