It turns out that changing our mindset can often help us feel hope and refresh our perspective when we feel overwhelmed. The Mayo Clinic has found that positive thinking can help reduce stress and even one’s health. Sometimes a new approach can help us get back on track to more constructive and positive ways of thinking and being.

Let us hear from our experts on what they think.

I Do Not Take Things Personally

When life feels overwhelming, I return to the habit of not taking things personally. It helps me separate facts from assumptions, lower the emotional temperature, and focus on what I can do next, which restores perspective and hope.

Sarah Wellband, Remedial Hypnotist, Out of Chaos Therapy

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Connection First, Hope Follows

When life feels overwhelming, I focus on rebuilding meaningful connection, starting with the relationship in front of me. In my practice, helping clients strengthen attachment through a steady therapeutic bond often helps them rediscover their zest for life. That focus on connection brings perspective and hope.

Carissa Hannum MA, LCPC, LPC, CCTP, Clinical Director & Psychotherapist, Monarch Wellness & Psychotherapy

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Morning Ritual Restores Perspective And Hope

When life feels overwhelming, I rely on a morning ritual of movement, deep breathing, gratitude, and setting intentions. It helps me reframe stress and feel a sense of time abundance, which restores perspective and hope.

Zuzana Shogun Valekova, Co-Owner, Mr. & Mrs. Shogun

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Meditation, Prayer, Visualization, Gratitude Lift Me

I do meditation. I pray. I sit and meditate for a few minutes. That helps to soothe nerves and calm my mind. It helps me regain my focus and see things from a fresh perspective. I breathe and try to think about what I need to do in the next 10 minutes. Sometimes, I visualize the things I want as already done. That makes me feel good and content.  I set short-term goals to distract myself. Also, I do gratitude journaling. I thank the universe for whatever little things I have got. I count my blessings. That makes me feel a little positive.

Shebna N Osanmoh, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Savantcare

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Tiny Plan Beats Vague Worry

When life feels overwhelming, I switch from vague worry to a tiny plan. If focus on controllable actions and do the smallest ones immediately. I also ask myself, “What would I advise a client to do with this problem?”, because it snaps me out of emotion and into perspective. Hope comes back when progress becomes visible, even if it is just one finished step.

Callum Gracie, Founder, Otto Media

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Step Away, Return, Then Time-Block Tasks

The first thing I try to do when feeling overwhelmed is to get up and physically remove myself from the area I’m in, which is usually my desk. This is my way of resetting my brain. In these moments, I often get tunnel vision and become fixated on one problem, spending significantly more time on it than necessary. By stepping away, I give myself the chance to break that spiral. 

Coming back to the problem after taking a break helps me approach it with fresh eyes. I’m usually able to find a solution more quickly once I’ve distanced myself from it for a while. After solving the initial issue that causes the beginning of the spiral, I break everything down into small, manageable tasks. This relieves some pressure and makes the tasks seem less daunting by giving me a clear plan of what to do going forward. I also like to time-block tasks on my calendar, so that I can visually estimate how much time I’ll need and get a sense of what my schedule will look like.  

Taking things one step at a time helps me focus and reminds me that even the most difficult moments won’t last forever.

Anne Zhang, Marketing Coordinator, Achievable

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Google Earth Gives Me Cosmic Perspective

I zoom out. When everything starts piling up and feeling like its on top of me I literally pull up Google Earth and just start scrolling around. Watching my street disappear then shrink down to size on the map, then my city & then my country, then just that tiny little blue dot hanging in space does something to my brain. 

All those urgent messages that are piling up and all the deadlines I’m dreading, all of a sudden don’t feel as crushing when you remember that youre on a rock spinning round in space. Sometimes I’ll randomly find a beach somewhere on the other side of the world and my mind starts to wander & I find myself imagining some poor soul there having a equally bad day. 

We’re all just stumbling to figure this whole thing out, you know? The fact that that is my often kinda makes the really hard days a bit more manageable. Its become my own little weird thing that I do to calm the storm.

Nirmal Gyanwali, Founder & CEO, WP Creative

About Our Contributor

Lindsey Flagg is a professional content creator with a passion for writing, music, and making the world a better place. She holds a B.A. in Communication from Purdue University and has over 12 years of experience in digital communications. In her free time, she enjoys language learning, reading, and discovering new music.