Overwhelmed by Life?
Fresh Start , Issue 12

Take acount of the positive, "good," things and see how you feel.

Feeling overwhelmed by life's circumstances is one of the most common and disturbing emotions we can experience. If prolonged it can lead to anxiety, panic attacks, and depression, even nervous breakdowns.

Today I awoke with an anxiety attack, definitely overwhelmed. I couldn't bear to face the day, or my many challenges. I realized that if I didn't change my perspective I'd fall into mental paralysis, only making things worse.

Painfully aware of the "negatives" in my life, I decided to take stock of what I had to be thankful for, or to make what is commonly known as a "Gratitude List." Much to my surprise (and relief) I had soon filled a whole page with loving family members, meaningful friends, good health, a good job, etc. etc.

At once I felt better. In taking stock of all the good things in my life, I even noticed I had all the necessary resources to deal with the various challenges I was faced with.

Now encouraged, I even took the next step of making a short list of things I was excited about in the future.

Now not only did I feel better about my present circumstances, but the future seemed a lot brighter as well.

As I felt less overwhelmed, I was able to approach my problems with more calm and confidence.

Bottom Line: when we start sinking under the psychological weight of negative factors it's time to tally up the positive!

by C.V. Doner

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