Recently, I found myself in challenging and unexpected circumstances. I set out and started the New Year with my goals and plan in place. However, life had other plans and threw me a complete curveball. In January, due to a classroom environment not conducive to learning and the abrupt resignation of my child’s teacher, we decided it best to pull him from school and finish the year homeschooling.
As we were adjusting to our new arrangement, February brought illness to someone we loved dearly. We didn’t know what was causing her pain and discomfort, but if you’ve ever walked with someone severely ill, you know life kind of pauses as you rally together to help and support in any way you can. In a matter of weeks we found out it was cancer. A week after receiving the cancer diagnosis, she was gone. We were all shattered by the loss, and in shock at the speed at which it came.
March brought funeral arrangements and grief like I have never known. While I gave myself time to walk through that initial grief, eventually, life must go on and I had to learn how to take those first steps again.
At the start, overwhelm was very much present. Not only did I have my own grief and emotions to process, but the emotions of my children to help navigate. I also wanted to be there for my husband. All while needing to tend to the day-to-day responsibilities of a mother, homemaker, and now primary teacher. These responsibilities didn’t stop just because we were grieving.
I remember sitting on my couch, exhausted, looking at my home which sat in disarray from neglect as we focused our attention towards our loved one. For me, I knew dealing with the overwhelming clutter in my immediate environment would help bring a sense of calm and peace, so I wanted to start there. I remember thinking, where do I even start?
Taking the First Step Towards Overcoming Overwhelm
Sitting there pondering that question, the thought, what’s the next step? came to mind. So I thought about that for a moment and decided the next step was simply cleaning the coffee table in front of me. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to do much of anything. But I knew I needed to start picking up the pieces, so I mustered up all the energy I had and forced myself to clean the coffee table. In a short amount of time the coffee table was clean. To others, it would have been unnoticeable. To me, though, it was a step in the right direction. A glimmer of hope that this was only temporary.
After the coffee table, I asked myself, what’s the next step? I looked around the room and decided it was cleaning the other table that was cluttered with papers and belongings that had piled up. For weeks, my days were spent asking myself, what’s the next step?, determining it, and then taking action. I kept my steps small and manageable, as it was all I had in me at the time.
The actions I took didn’t seem like they would do much in and of themselves to tackle the problems and challenges I faced. But over time, these small next steps added up to noticeable change. Not only in my physical environment, but in myself as well. Each win brought healing, renewed hope, and confidence that we would be okay as we moved forward with our new normal.
Compounding Steps Towards Success
You might think to yourself, my whole house is a disaster, what is cleaning the coffee table going to do? Or I’m swimming in debt, what’s an extra 50 dollars going to do to wipe it away? Or I’m so overweight, what’s a walk going to do?
The reality is, we all need to start somewhere, and we all need to take that first step. I have found that when we have a seemingly impossible challenge ahead of us, a small, manageable step is the best to take in getting started. When you reap the success of that one small step, it gives you the motivation and confidence to take the next one. Eventually, momentum builds and you find yourself running.
So I agree that if we only took that small first step and nothing further, yes, it wouldn’t do much of anything at all. But it’s each small but mighty effort stacked on the previous one that brings real change and transformation. The key, therefore, is continuing to take that next step.
Final Thoughts
So what is it that has you overwhelmed today? Is it your house? Your finances? Your weight? A strained relationship? What would you rather it look like? If it seems impossible and overwhelming, ask yourself, what’s the next step? No matter how small, just focus on that step. When you’ve completed it, determine the next step and tackle it unto completion. You don’t have to do all the steps in a day. One may be all you can handle in a day to start. Continue to persevere and push forward, and I promise you will build momentum and step your way out of overwhelm. It may take longer than you would like. Then again, it may not. But I promise that if you continue to push forward, you will see a victory.
Looking for more ways to tackle overwhelm in your day-to-day? Scheduling your day with an appointment planner can help! See how I use mine in How to Thrive as a Stay-at-home Mom: Appointment Planner