Do you ever feel overwhelmed?

I know I do.

It’s pretty common for people with ADHD to feel that way.

We have difficulty prioritizing; to us, everything seems equally important.

Often we choose to do something not because it is important to get done right away, but because we’re afraid that if we don’t do it now, we’ll forget.

And when you become a grown up and have other people who depend on you, life can get super overwhelming. And stressful.

To be honest, that situation up there in that picture is not so overwhelming to me. I guess cause I’ve seen a lot worse. 😉

In the nine months that I cared for my dad, my house suffered. We moved him and his stuff from his room upstairs to the family room. I had a clothesline across my family room for almost a year.

Everything got messed up. There just wasn’t any time to stop and organize a closet or a cupboard.

And though it’s been two months, things aren’t much improved.

Yes. I’m overwhelmed. Where do I begin?

And with the holidays approaching and family coming from out of town, I’ve got a truckload of stress and overwhelm hanging over me.

So how do we get out from being overwhelmed?

There are all kinds of ways. You just have to choose what works for you. And sometimes more than one method will work; you never know.

Here are some random suggestions:

• Start with a realistic plan. Decide what’s important now and what can wait. Right now, for me, that means getting the downstairs in order, making sure we have clean linens, and getting the master bedroom ready for company. Most of the closets and cupboards can wait.
• Start with decluttering. Too much clutter can easily overwhelm you. Make a plan to toss 5 things a day, every day.
• Look for the biggest stressor in your life and begin there. If your closet is overwhelming you and it takes you longer to get ready in the morning, start there. The sense of peace you get when that closet is under control is magical.
• Ask for help. Surely you didn’t make all of this mess; get others in the household to lend a hand.
• Consider hiring a professional organizer, or just ask a friend who’s good at it. You don’t have to do this long term; just hire them for 1 or 2 sessions to help you see what needs to be done and get you started on the right track.
• Take an honest look at your life. Are other things stressing you out? Stress can easily lead to feeling overwhelmed. Look at your schedule and your commitments. Can you cut back there?
• Read back through my 31 Days Challenge on simplifying. Can you put any of those ideas in place?
• Put a stop to shopping for anything but absolute necessities, like food. Bringing more stuff in is not helping; it’s causing more trouble.
• Focus on small things, not the big picture. Right now I feel like every inch of my house is out of control. But if I think of it that way, the sheer size of the job is enough to make me freeze and not take any action at all.

Tell me. What is your most overwhelming area in your life?