Do you ever just feel like one day you’re on top of the world and then the next, somehow you ended up underneath it? With all the pressures of college and our endeavors of striking the balance between work, homework, your social life, and sleep it’s easy to quickly find yourself spread thin. Maybe your stress manifests itself in anxiety or depression or potentially even in isolation, mood swings and destructive self-talk. Regardless, when life gets hectic and feels like too much; you don’t have to let your feelings get the best of you. Easier said than done… I know right? Nevertheless, here are 4 reasons why you are overwhelmed. But first, we can’t solve a problem without knowing its cause, correct? Let’s take a quick look at some of habits that leave us all feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
1. Setting too high of expectations
When we set the bar too high and don’t get the outcome we expected once all is said and done we set ourselves up for failure and disappointment. Ultimately causing much undue stress.
2. Being a perfectionist
Uptight. High-strung. Type A. Any of these words sound familiar? Ever been told you possess these qualities? Odds are, you’re a perfectionist! But proceed with caution when referring to yourself as such. See, “perfectionist” is more so a label rather than an adjective. Once we label ourselves, it creates this unreasonable pressure to live up to… and no one is perfect.
3. Taking on too much
Are you someone who has a hard time saying no? Still unsure? You relate to Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses hard time saying no. If this is you; it’s time to start trying out organizing and p r i o r i t i z i n g. There’s nothing that adds stress to those belt straps like not having time for yourself to even breathe let alone having time to go out and do something for you.
4. Trying to control too much
Find yourself trying to control things you actually have no control over? Does this fact ever irritate you sometimes? Try to realize that you can trust people. Odds are, even though you don’t feel comfortable letting go of the reigns, another person can do just as good of a job as you can. Try not letting yourself get caught up in this trap of doing everything yourself or trying to control things that are truly out of your hands. Start believing that things will happen the way they are supposed to and ask for help when necessary.
If you find yourself relating to any of the above, you are not alone. Stay tuned next week to find out how to conquer the feeling of being overwhelmed!