3575: The Weird Way to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by Stephen Guise of Mini Habits on Productivity Tips

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[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_01] This is Optimal Living Daily, The Weird Way to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by StephenGuys of ManyHabits.com. And I'm Justin Malek. And I'll jump right into today's post as we optimize your life. The Weird Way to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by StephenGuys of ManyHabits.com.

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_01] Are you feeling overwhelmed? That's normal. Life is overwhelming by nature. We have unlimited paths, unlimited ways to improve ourselves, and unlimited problems. But interestingly, this means that overwhelm isn't actually an issue of having too much to deal with, we always do. It's a matter of perspective and temperament. Typically, it's when we realize that we feel we don't have enough time or energy to do particularly critical things that we feel overwhelmed.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_01] Or just one intensely emotional or traumatic event can make us feel overwhelmed. How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed. To stop overwhelm, the solution isn't to go into hyperproductive mode and try to solve everything at once. Overwhelm means that you already feel pressured to do that. That's actually the problem, not the solution. The solution to overwhelm is weird because it doesn't address the many sources of your overwhelm, but how you interpret them.

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_01] The solution? Sit or lie down and take some deep breaths. Or do nothing. When you put a stop to the frenetic pace of your mind and body, you can see the truth of the situation. Notice that taking a moment doesn't ruin your life immediately. It doesn't cause a fire. Taking a moment doesn't create 10 more problems. Taking a moment proves that overwhelm is only in the mind. Relaxing for a moment won't ruin your life.

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_01] But what if you actually have 35 things to do with only enough time to do 14 of them? Then isn't overwhelm a logistical problem? Actually, no. Because if you only have time to do 14 of them today, that's what you do. Being overwhelmed doesn't give anyone superpowers. There's no need to stress yourself out about it. Stress can push us into action, of course, but it's mostly meant for very short-term situations, like when an alligator starts chasing you.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_01] Fun fact, most humans can outrun alligators. Don't zigzag, just run. Overwhelm manifests as stress, which is very taxing on our minds and bodies. If you let it continually affect you, you'll become less productive, more tired, and more paralyzed. My experience. When I begin to sense overwhelm, I'll sit down on the couch or even lie down.

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_01] This reaffirms to me that no figurative or real alligator is chasing me because if it were, I wouldn't be able to rest without being eaten. Once I settle down, I'll then target one thing I can do right now that I know will bring some amount of progress. After doing this, I'll feel better because I have positive momentum and can move on to the next thing. The interesting thing to me about overwhelm is how often I'm wrong.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_01] When I feel like I have too many things to do, but I go through this process and start doing them, I often find that I'm able to complete what I want for the day. As I've gotten better at minimizing overwhelm, which is a perspective and not a permanent status, I found myself to be a lot more relaxed and productive. And it makes sense that a relaxed mind would be more productive.

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_01] I've been watching playoff baseball and I find it interesting that many of the pitchers and batters will take deep breaths between pitches. It seems odd at first because sports are supposed to be intense and competitive, not relaxing. But the players know that they can focus better if their mind is at ease.

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_01] The best way to blow it in a clutch situation in sports is to think about how important the situation is to fantasize about being the hero or worry about making a critical mistake. None of that has anything to do with your ability to execute. That's why it's always easier to make practice shots. There are no pressurized distractions to compromise your focus. Think of yourself like one of these athletes when overwhelm hits you.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_01] When it feels like game seven with two outs, bases loaded and a full count. Remember that you're going to be at your best if your mind is calm, basically in practice mode. Breathe deeply through your nose. Then focus on the mechanics of your next simple step forward and calmly win that moment. Soon enough, you'll see that you've also won the day and did better than you ever would have being overwhelmed. Final thought, don't rush this process.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_01] Don't predetermine that you'll sit for one minute and go right back to being overwhelmed. Take as much time as you need to get your mind and body ready. Don't worry, your problems and responsibilities won't go anywhere without you. Face them when you're ready and not a moment sooner. You just listened to the post titled, The Weird Way to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by Stephen Guise of MiniHabits.com. I'll be right back with my commentary. You know what's frustrating?

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[00:08:16] [SPEAKER_01] Turn those dreams into and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash old. Go to shopify.com slash O-L-D. Shopify.com slash old. Thank you to Steven. I'm sure you could relate to this one in some way. I know I could. I like that he mentioned that it's not about all the stuff we need to do

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_01] because we always have too much to do, but it's our interpretation of the situation. We talk about productivity a lot on this show, maybe some life hacks to get more done every once in a while, but this takes it on from a different angle, doing nothing for a moment. Because like he said, being stressed or overwhelmed about only having time to do 14 of the 35 things on our list doesn't help. Stress just makes things worse. Reminds me of how I handle my mornings these days.

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_01] I used to try to cram everything in, get some sun, meditate, breakfast, check emails and so on. And if it feels like I have too much to do, I might get nothing done. Now I just pick a couple and then it feels like a win compared to the all or nothing approach. So if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, maybe give it a shot. Take a second, sit down, breathe. I know I mentioned this yesterday, but you can check out our NSDR, Non-Sleep Deep Rest podcast. That's perfect for this.

[00:09:41] [SPEAKER_01] Do whatever feels good and just pick one little thing you can do and go from there. With that, thank you for picking this podcast as a little something positive you can do for yourself. Thank you so much for sticking around until the end and coming back to listen every day. Have a great rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.