5 Steps I Took to Overcome Overwhelm and Get Organized
A personal recount of 5 practical steps to overcome overwhelm and achieve organization. Acknowledging emotions, setting clear priorities, decluttering, creating an organizing system, celebrating progress, and seeking support.
There have been times in my life when depression took over.
I would spend days in bed and watch the chaos build around me while feeling completely incapable of doing anything about it. Not only did depression make it difficult to be productive, but even when I would start to feel a little better, the overwhelming task of picking my life back up would be enough to send me straight back to bed.
Since I’m sure this isn’t a unique experience, I figured I would share the steps I take to get my life back in order, when chaos takes over and I’m so overwhelmed that I don’t even know where to begin.
First, I want to note that your systems have to work for you; they don’t have to look Pinterest-worthy. So, try not to worry about being perfect and remember that you deserve a functional space, even if everything isn’t in rainbow order.
Step 1: Acknowledge and Accept Your Overwhelm
Feeling overwhelmed by your chaotic space and the prospect of getting a handle on it is normal.
But I’m a firm believer that you can’t improve what you can’t name, so labeling and understanding the emotion is the first step to overcoming it.
According to talkspace.com, feeling overwhelmed is defined as, “to be completely submerged by your thoughts and emotions about all of life’s current problems, to the point where you lack productivity and feel frozen or paralyzed.”
That’s exactly how I feel when I look at a cluttered chaotic space — frozen and paralyzed by my own emotions.
So, step one is to acknowledge that this situation is overwhelming.
That doesn’t mean you can’t handle it; it just means you need a certain set of skills to deal with it.
My hope is that sharing my experience with overwhelm can help you create an overwhelm toolkit for all future chaos that might ensue.
Step 2: Set Clear Goals and Priorities
Clear goals and priorities for organization? Ground-breaking!
If you’ve ever sought organizational advice online, you’ve likely encountered the recommendation to take things one step at a time.
However, I find it’s often easier said than done.
While there is wisdom in this advice, it offers little comfort when you’re so overwhelmed that even identifying that first step feels impossible, leaving you wanting to curl up and ignore the task altogether.
For me, I know I just have to get started, even though I don’t feel like it.
I know myself well enough to know that if I wait for the mood to get organized to come along, I’ll never get anything done.
For me, its helpful if I think about which space would make the biggest positive impact on my life if it were more functional and set that room as my first priority.
My next step is to brain dump all the tasks for cleaning and organizing that room onto a list.
I prefer old-school pen and paper for this, but you do you.
Similar to before, I prioritize tasks based on the potential impact on functionality and start with the highest priority, working my way down the list until completion.
I understand that a lengthy to-do list can be overwhelming in itself.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to tackle the entire list at once. Instead, concentrate on the top priority.
After completing a task, assess your energy level — you can either move on to the next task or leave it for following day.
Sometimes I’ll use timers when I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed, I select a task, set a timer, and commit to working on it for a specified period, rather than aiming to finish it entirely.
Step 3: Declutter and Sort
Now it’s time to get the infamous three categories out:
Keep, donate/sell, and discard.
As you move through your small chucks of work in step two, make sure you’re dividing items into these categories.
Let’s use a dresser drawer for example. Say you’ve decided you’re going to tackle one drawer today.
Dump it and sort the items into the above three categories.
Chuck the donate/sell items in their designated bin, the discard items in the trash, and the keep items back in the drawer.
If you’re up for it, make sure all of your keep items have their own specific home, but it’s ok if leave this step for tomorrow if you start to feel overwhelmed.
I suggest being as ruthless as you can at this step and really only keep things you love and use; the more stuff we have, the easier it is for the chaos to sneak back in.
Step 4: Create an Organizing System
Staying organized can be the most challenging aspect of getting organized.
This rings particularly true for me, as my episodes of depression are far from isolated occurrences; they tend to resurface.
Along with the overwhelming feelings, I also feel a sense of guilt, whether that guilt is warranted or not — though delving into improving my self-talk would require an entirely separate article.
After navigating through several of these episodes, I recognized the need to establish a system that could help me maintain a semblance of organization, even during my lowest points.
The cornerstone of this system is, admittedly, asking for help — a step my fiercely independent nature tends to resist.
Yet, among the various measures I’ve implemented, one stands out for its impact:
candidly discussing my struggles with my partner and letting him know the most effective ways he can support me when my mood takes a downturn.
In our case, this translates to him shouldering a few additional household responsibilities, like preparing dinner to ensure I continue to eat even when the task of cooking seems insurmountable.
Equally significant within these systems is the concept of having designated places for everything, eliminating the need to constantly think about where things should go or frantic searches when they are needed.
A practical example is a ‘no-fold’ laundry system, where clothes find their homes in categorized baskets rather than having to fold everything.
In my case, the viability of these systems hinges on their intuitiveness and simplicity; any complexity or convoluted structure would inevitably lead me to abandon them.
Remember, the path to sustained organization may not be easy and straightforward, but with some effort and intentional strategies, it’s definitely possible! But most importantly, don’t forget to ask for help!
Step 5: Celebrate Your Progress
I am often my own harshest critic, so I tend to overlook this step.
However, a significant lesson that I learned in therapy is the importance of allowing yourself to feel good about your accomplishments.
As a recovering perfectionist, I often downplay my accomplishments moving past milestones without much celebration.
It’s a bad habit that I’m working on, but it’s a prime example of how this whole, “coping with overwhelm” thing is an ongoing process.
Recently, I’ve been making more of an effort to share my accomplishments with others, whether through conversations or sharing on social media.
Moreover, I’ve been making more of an effort to involve my partner and set up fun celebratory adventures upon reaching a goal.
There’s something about going out for ice-cream after you reach a big goal that makes it so much more enjoyable.
All this applies to getting organized. Once you reach a milestone, acknowledge it, and let yourself feel proud of your accomplishment.
Maybe even set a reward for a certain milestone, merging motivation with well-deserved recognition!
As a personal note, I want to emphasize that you are intrinsically deserving of pride.
Confronting life’s challenges while feeling overwhelmed is so incredibly brave and I think you’re amazing for feeling scared but moving forward anyways.
Embarking on the organizational process while grappling with overwhelming emotions might initially appear daunting.
However, armed with a plan, consistent effort, and a touch of support, it is absolutely achievable!
My hope in sharing the steps I took to conquer my own sense of overwhelm is to make the process more approachable and potentially kindle your own motivation to get started as well!
Hi, my name is Chantal Kathleen and I write about mental health, wellness, and organization! If you found this article helpful I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments and if you want to see more like this be sure to follow my page! ❤️
