Make a much shorter to-do list! 15 quick, simple ways to avoid overwhelm
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From weightlifting to woodland walks, Guardian readers and health experts share their tried-and-tested ways to keep burnout at bay. Overwhelm can come from multiple worries going round and round in our heads like a washing machine, which can deplete our energy. A helpful strategy is to set aside 10 to 15 minutes each day for “constructive worrying”, where you write down your concerns. You can then apply cognitive strategies such as “if, then” planning (“if X happens, I will do Y”) or assess worst-best-probable case scenarios. This process can help reduce the emotional intensity of worries and lessens overwhelm. Sometimes, you may just need to remind yourself to tackle one problem and one task at a time. Nick Hatter, psychotherapeutic coach, life coach and author of The 7 Questions.
![[Woman lying prone on the floor]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/71efbf5c984539cb9a75bbb442a343a0db909f07/0_0_4961_3387/master/4961.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Anxiety is easy to get and hard to lose. I have been fortunate to find three activities that help me keep it at bay: weekly cold-water swimming, daily weightlifting and regularly taking part in open-mic comedy nights. These fitness and performance activities help me keep things in perspective and mean I’m able to reflect on the progress I have made. Ten minutes in 14C water; 10 minutes of high-intensity weightlifting; 10 minutes of trying to make others laugh: all of them help to put overwhelm away. John Parman, fundraising manager, West Midlands.
![[Young woman writing in a notebook]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c6e2a52a355ff5ecc0bead98b6092f13890f959/0_0_5472_3648/master/5472.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I practise the three-second brain-reset technique called Stop, breathe, be. It’s a way to move away from anxious thoughts focused on “what if” and back to “what is”. First, stop: take an intentional pause from what you’re doing. Next, breathe: take a deep breath in and out. Finally, be: focus on being present in the here and now. This technique fosters a mind-body connection and, over time, it rewires your brain to feel less stress through the process of neuroplasticity. Dr Aditi Nerurkar, lecturer at Harvard University and author of The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience.
![[A hiker looking down on Loch Rannoch in Perthshire]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1e7ed88009aef0fc06ccb07a1e9d3a2a4597d5f0/0_0_4809_3172/master/4809.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
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