Going through life each day we are forced to juggle many different tasks. Many times these tasks can pile up and before we know it, it is out of control. We feel overwhelmed, stressed, and fatigued, also known as chronic overwhelm. This can really damage your immune, hormonal, and nervous systems (Managing Overwhelm/ Time Pressure; Heartmath.org; 1/13/2010). This, in the end causes you to age faster and even be more at risk for disease (Managing Overwhelm/ Time Pressure). “With all of these pressure to succeed, achieve, meet goals, make a contribution builds inside of us until one day we are locked in the throes of overwhelm, numb to its debilitating effects on our bodies and quality of life (Managing Overwhelm/ Time Pressure).”

“Another factor that is associated with overwhelm is project identity; which is when you must invest a great deal of mental energy into a project, often, without realizing it, a lot of emotional energy too(Managing Overwhelm/ Time Pressure).” Project identity is part of our everyday lives. For instance, have you ever set all your attention in one place; in class, at work, in a relationship? You tend to only focus on the one particular thing you are doing, without even noticing anything else that is going on around you.  In the end, you are overwhelmed and cannot even focus on the mission you were first setting out to do.

This then causes you to be frustrated and the next step many people turn to is stimulation overload. People move from one stimulation to another: coffee, soda, shopping, the internet, movies, and many more (Managing Overwhelm/ Time Pressure). Your mind then is off the hook, unsure of when to re charge and take a step back, in the downturn leading to overwhelm.

These common causes all correlate with time management. We rush, rush, and rush in our society to hurry and get as much done as we can as quickly as possible. The only times we ever get a chance to step back and appreciate the real time we have in life is on birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. There are only twenty four hours in a day and somehow this never seems like enough! Common ways to manage overwhelm and time according to Heart math tips are to concentrate on a positive feeling or attitude as you breathe, lock into the feeling, and then as you become adapted to this technique select new positive feelings and attitudes (Managing Overwhelm/ Time Pressure).  The benefits of this are more patience with other people, improving your outlook on life, and feeling more relaxed as well as greater enjoyment with work and play (Managing Overwhelm/ Time Pressure). This will then in turn help you live a long stress free life.