Are you feeling overwhelmed? You are not alone.

Sometimes it feels like you are a browser with fifteen tabs open. Each tab is entirely different from the other, similar to how each thought is unrelated but all causing the same effect; an intense feeling of helplessness as you cannot constrain your consciousness from diving into various scenarios at once.

The cause of this feeling can stem from approaching exams, closing deadlines, being broke, the absence of a loved one/trusted partner, being single, spiritual anxiety, and several other factors that trigger this paranoia.

But here is the thing, sometimes we even feel overwhelmed because we feel overwhelmed.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? You are not alone Pulse Nigeria

It is okay to feel overwhelmed. It’s completely natural, but understanding that lying down idle, unwilling to move or execute any task you are inevitably submitting to the negative feeling can result in depression in the long run. But we don’t want that; we want to jump right back into productivity and mental serenity. So here are two steps.

1. Identify it

You can’t fight what you don’t know; when you see it for what it is, you can take the next step in overcoming it and resuming work.

2. Rest

As creatives, entrepreneurs, and students, feeling overwhelmed is a sign that we push our bodies and minds way past their limits. Unfortunately, we often have a toxic habit of exerting extreme pressure on our bodies and minds to achieve fair results.

This work pattern will always lead to frequent burnouts but can be annulled by caution and quality rest. Relaxation is vital in this journey; when we rest, we recover our lost energy while returning to the creative, academic or business field in a fresher state of mind.

Being overwhelmed comes with this terrible feeling of guilt, inexplicable fatigue, mood swings and anxiety, but we can’t let it consume us. One mistake we make is confronting the signs and symptoms of stress rather than its root cause.

Most times, what we call our passion comes with its pleasure and its pain. And to walk efficiently on this journey, we have to have a decent taste of both.

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Israel Olorunnisola is a freelance creative. When he is not writing about Film, Music, TV or Pop culture he is telling stories on Wattpad.

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