The Tribune

By Michelle M Miller

LIVING overly stressed, anxious and having a lack of control, leads to being overwhelmed.

To get out of feeling overwhelmed is a process. 

First stop, breathe and calm your mind to reclaim your power and control. Of course, some say this is much easier said than done. Yet, this is what it is.

If you are unwilling to reevaluate the way you meet your challenges, you will remain in the overwhelmed zone. 

The magic lies in your willingness to look at things differently.

Think about this truth, you only become overwhelmed when you allow yourself to be overpowered by the problem. If you stand on your power to face the problem, then the problem becomes overpowered by you.

If it’s so simple, then why are so many living overwhelmed? Fact is, people live what they know, feel, think and believe. If you don’t know what you know, who you are or what you are made of, then you have nothing with which to meet life challenges. As such, you will more readily give in to fear than to stand fearlessly.

It is for this reason I encourage you to do the work on you. 

Invest the time and energy to develop your inner strength. Fail to do it and it will fail to support you when you need it most.

So how do you overcome being overwhelmed?  First things first, clear and calm your mind. Foggy thinking produces foggy results. Calmness allows you to see more clearly to scope out a solution. If you remain hot-tempered, agitated, or frustrated, your mind overloads and quickly implodes.

Secondly, investigate what you really believe about yourself and the ingredients of your faith. The moment you think, feel and believe you are unable to meet the problem you unknowingly give power to the problem.   

Build a stronger premise or foundation of who you are and what you believe. Unravel how your mind is wired – to lose or win at life?   

Truth is you are born to win at life. This is not a debate, it’s the truth, believe it or not. As such, there is always more power within you than in any problem.

No, this doesn’t mean life is a bed of roses or there won’t be challenges. Life offers both the sun and the rain. What’s important here is, as Bob Marley said, “to know who you are and where you stand in the struggle.”  

Another key point is energy flows where your attention or focus goes. When you focus on the problem rather than the solution, you feed the problem and it expands or prolongs. 

Make up your mind to feed the solution. Focusing on solving the problem, allows a solution to surface. Overcoming the feeling of being overwhelmed requires deep understanding of your core beliefs. Whatever you believed before the problem is what you will have to rely on when a problem arrives. Don’t wait until the sand storm starts blowing before developing your inner power. Start now to build your strength to support you when the time comes.    

Read books that inspire your mind. Attend workshops and programmes that enable you to tap into your own potential. This kind of investment is a gift you give yourself.   

Leader to leader, you have the power to overcome feeling overwhelmed. It takes inner work. Be willing to invest the time and do the work on yourself – to truly live the life you love.

• What do you think? Send comments questions to coaching242@yahoo.com.

Michelle M Miller is a certified life-coach, leadership expert and author.