Inner Strength & Motivation
Learn How to Overcome Overwhelming Feelings
How do I cultivate my inner strength when I’m feeling discouraged? 10 ways to find your strength.
Oftentimes when we face difficult or challenging situations, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Our emotions can get the best of us, and before we know it, we’re consumed by them. This is especially true if the situation is something that we can’t control. It’s important, then, to develop an inner strength that can help us overcome these feelings. And while there’s no single answer for how to do this, learning how to cope with our emotions in a healthy way is a good place to start. Tips for developing this kind of inner strength will be the main focus of this blog post. So if you’re looking for ways to better deal with overwhelming feelings, read on!
1. Practice self-compassion
Self-compassion is not about being self-indulgent, so it’s important to avoid the common mistake of feeling sorry for yourself when you need to practice this kind of compassion. It may sound counterintuitive, but thinking about how you feel in positive terms can help to reduce the stress associated with your emotions. For example, instead of saying “This is too much for me,” you can say, “I understand how overwhelming this is and it’s ok to feel the way that I do right now.” Saying things in this kind of positive light can help keep your emotions from spiralling out of control.
2. Acknowledge what you’re feeling
Allowing yourself to feel whatever it is that you’re feeling can help to keep your emotions from overpowering you. It’s important, though, to acknowledge these feelings and why you may be having them without judging yourself for having them in the first place. So if, for example, you feel angry and ashamed about feeling this way and decide not to give yourself permission to express these feelings, you’ll only end up feeling worse.
2. Start with baby steps
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it can be easy to feel like there’s nothing that you can do. Focusing on what you can do will help keep your mind from dwelling on the negative aspects of your current situation. So start with baby steps and focus on what you can control in an attempt to find a sense of hope. For example, if you’re not able to stop feeling upset about an argument you’ve had with a coworker earlier in the day, you can focus on making yourself a cup of tea instead. This can help give you a sense of control over the situation and ease some of the emotional pain.
3. Find support in the people you love
Talking about how you feel with the people that you care about can help to relieve some of your overwhelming feelings. This is because when we feel cared for and supported by the people that we love, we’re more likely to find hope and strength in difficult or challenging situations. So try to talk to the people that you trust around you about what you’re going through, even if it’s hard for you.
4. Distract yourself with an activity
Doing something fun or productive will not only distract you from whatever it is that might be causing your distress, but it will also give you a sense of accomplishment at the end. So take a trip to the movies or go for a walk in your favorite park instead of obsessing about how you feel.
5. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is all about focusing on the present moment, and it can be an extremely useful tool when dealing with overwhelming feelings. The more attention that you give to the present moment, the less attention you’ll give to your overwhelming feelings. So find a quiet spot and allow yourself to focus on the physical sensations that you’re feeling right now instead of dwelling on overthinking things.
6. Change how you view your situation
The saying “Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to it” is very true, so try your best to view your situation in a positive light. There are always better and worse ways of reacting to difficult situations, so focusing on the positive aspects of how you’ve handled what’s happening can help give you the strength you need.
7. Rethink your perfectionism
Because having high expectations for oneself is often a good thing, perfectionism can be difficult to spot sometimes. It’s important that you’re able to give yourself permission to make mistakes without feeling guilty about it. Trying your best is one thing, but expecting yourself to be perfect all of the time can only lead to more feelings of being overwhelmed and helpless.
8. Challenge your negative thoughts
Thoughts are powerful, and the way that we think about ourselves or our situations can have a big impact on how well we’re able to cope with what’s happening. So challenge your negative thoughts by trying your best to focus on the truth. For example, if your negative thought is “I’m not good enough,” try thinking back to all of the things you’ve accomplished in your life so far. Big or small, these add up. On that note:
9. Keep a gratitude journal
Gratitude has been shown to have a big impact on our mental well-being. Because of this, keeping a gratitude journal can be an extremely powerful way to cope with overwhelming feelings. So try writing down three things that you’re grateful for every day and see if this doesn’t make a difference in how you feel over time.
10. Be patient with yourself
Using any of these tools will not only take time but also require consistent effort on your part. And this is normal, so allow yourself to be patient with the process. There are no overnight fixes when it comes to dealing with overwhelming feelings, so try your best to stick with what you’re doing and trust that things will get easier over time.
It may take practice before these tools feel natural in helping manage the effects of overwhelming feelings, but stay patient, do the work, and you’ll find that it’s possible to be stronger than you think.
Developing an inner strength can be a challenge, but it’s definitely worth the effort. With practice, self-compassion and awareness of your feelings, you can slowly start to make positive changes in your life. The techniques we shared should help get you started. We would love to hear about your experiences in developing an inner strength — share your story in the comments below!
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