7 Things to Remember About Feeling Overwhelmed as an Entrepreneur

That moment when your husband walks in after a long day can you feel your body tense?

It could be a tone in his voice or a particular way he holds himself. Overwhelm is written all over his face.

It's much easier to spot in others. We are more used to our own sh*t.

No matter if you are being called out for being stressed out or if you recognize the warning signs in yourself. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’ve reached that awful place of not knowing what to do next.

Protect your Mental Health

I’ve been an advocate for mental health long before it was trending because of my journey with parenting two kids with ADHD. I think this is a good starting point to go into overwhelm.

If this is a problem bigger than yourself, you need to look outside to get the help you need.  I urge you to seek help if there are trauma or behavioral issues involved. There is zero shame in seeking help from a therapist. I started seeing a therapist after my mom passed away but have held onto monthly sessions because I know her advice will help me take the next step.

Seek Clarity

Brain fog has always been one of the physical signs of overwhelm for me. Do you ever get a cold, and you feel as if a dirty window separates you from the rest of the world? I get that feeling when I'm overwhelmed.

Even though I want to run in a million directions, what I really need to do is grab the Windex and clean the window. In other words, find clarity on what’s important at that moment.  

Be in the Moment

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” Eckert Tolle

Entrepreneurs are often locked into thinking about the past or the future. Did I miss my goals last quarter? What will I do to make it up? Or maybe its did I remember to tell Parker to take the bus home today? What do I have to rearrange if he misses it this afternoon?

The way to wade through the overwhelm of always thinking about time (past and future) is to get focused on the present moment. The only thing you can control is NOW.

Verbalize It

Sometimes all we need to do when we get overwhelmed is have someone else listen to us.

Have you ever called your mom or your best friend when you just couldn’t figure something out?  All they have to do is be there on the other side of the call, and you are able to talk yourself through what you have to do.  

As entrepreneurs, this is where having a community of like-minded professionals comes in handy.  I place where you can go and share your thoughts or struggles.  

You guys already know how much I love Clubhouse but being able to verbalize my business struggles is one of the top reasons.  I have rooms I like to take my marketing struggles.  I’ve also been able to form great relationships on the app so I can just talk 1:1

Pick Your Priorities

It's helpful to recognize when you're feeling overwhelmed that you might need to sit down and do a brain dump and think about what your priorities are at this moment. Try to delegate automate, outsource whatever it is you can, and be really clear on what those priorities

There are lots of methods to prioritize the list you get from that brain dump but my favorite is the Eisenhower Matrix. You will have to choose which one works best for you.

Delegate or Outsource

No conversation of overwhelm as a business owner is complete without touching on the subject of delegation and outsourcing.  Delegation is handing a task off to someone else. Outsourcing is similar but there’s $$ involved. 

Many solopreneurs feel trapped that they have nobody to delegate to and they are not in a financial position to outsource. I’ve been there too.

Check out this guest post to challenge that mental block.

Accept Imperfection

Have you stepped into the world of short-form video? 

This is one of the big marketing guns for entrepreneurs right now.  I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and had to embrace a ton of imperfections along the way. I release reels where my lip-synching is off. I’ve tried editing some transitions that are kinda cringe-worthy.

Consider this: I could spend hours and hours creating a reel that does nothing to move the needle in my business or I could create 4 reels in the same amount of time, watch which one performs better than improve the next batch.

The way I move past this is by using time blocks.  I give myself a realistic time frame to get something done. Whatever is done in that time frame has to be shipped out.  End of story.

Next time you feel that fog of overwhelm rolling in, get yourself to higher ground before your loved ones start flashing those high beams at ya.