Calming the Chaos of a Busy Life: Insights from a Leading Trauma Therapist in Atlanta

You know the constant pull of a busy life that feels chaotic and overwhelming, to the point where you feel as if you have forgotten to breathe today. Every day starts early and stretches late into the evening. You long for things to ease up, for a moment to sit down and simply exist without relentless demands.    

This experience is all too common. According to the American Psychological Association, over half of Americans aged 18 to 34 feel completely overwhelmed by stress. The numbers are even higher for women in this age group and only slightly lower for those between 35 and 44. Even with the drop in these numbers for those aged 45-64, to 27% and 9% for those over 65, this is still a high percentage of people who struggle with high levels of stress on a daily basis. This blog post aims to help you find ways to reduce the chaos in your life.

Understanding how the Chaos of a Busy Life can often feel traumatic

Being overwhelmed with work, home, family obligations, or other responsibilities can leave you feeling endlessly exhausted and unable to find a moment of peace. You might even notice common signs, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, irritability, headaches, and other health problems that begin to arise. Relentless stress and feelings of overwhelm can have a substantial effect on mental health, creating a higher risk for anxiety, depression, burnout, and physical health challenges too.

Strategies for Calming the Chaos

Establish Healthy Boundaries

Does this sound familiar? You get a call from someone needing help, so you sacrifice your recharge time to assist them, dismissing your own needs. Shortly after, another call comes in, and you give up your time again. Or perhaps it's an endless array of extracurricular activities for the kids. Sooner or later, you'll need to decide where to draw the line and allow yourself to say no. Yes, a well-rounded child is important, but they also need to learn how to take care of themselves emotionally. If you're struggling with this, it's time for a change. How much can you really give your kids when you're burned out and overwhelmed?

Share what you need.

Imagine you're at work and your boss or coworker asks if you have time to meet later to discuss next week's projects. You already have a lot to do, but you don't want to disappoint them, so you agree to the meeting. This leaves you feeling flustered for the rest of the afternoon, with an already lengthy to-do list.

What if you shared your current workload with them instead? They did ask if you had time, after all. What if you explained your situation and discussed your existing commitments along with their request? Perhaps a compromise could be reached—a task reassigned to another coworker or the meeting rescheduled to a more convenient time. You'll never know unless you speak up.

Prioritize tasks to create balance.

Consider examining your week hour by hour, focusing only on high-priority tasks. This allows you to focus your time on what truly matters. It can often be helpful to schedule time for you to replenish yourself by doing something you love. Once these essential tasks are scheduled, ask yourself what you want to do with the remaining hours. Are there activities you can eliminate entirely in order to create more space to just be? Can some tasks be done more efficiently to save time? You might consider how everyone in your household can pull together for household tasks or adjustments such as hiring a cleaning service to help keep things tidy or using Instacart for grocery shopping. Ultimately, you have the power to decide what changes you make in order to optimize your time.

Practice regular self-care. 

While earning my bachelor's degree, I worked in a daycare, caring for infants. I lived in a city with a major earthquake fault line beneath it, and emergency preparedness was part of our required training. The trainer instructed us to prioritize our safety by getting under a doorway or table, even if it meant leaving the children momentarily. Although counter-intuitive, this advice was directed at ensuring we could help the children once the earthquake stopped.

Similarly, constantly sacrificing personal time can lead to burnout and reduce your productivity and ability to help others. Schedule regular self-care time, whether it's a walk, reading, caring for a pet, getting a massage, or watching a movie. The frequency depends on your needs, whether weekly or monthly. 

FAQ 

My life is already busy. How do I fit time for therapy into it?

Balancing a busy life with therapy may seem challenging, but it is a crucial investment in your well-being that can ultimately enhance your productivity and quality of life. Start by assessing your current schedule to identify pockets of free time, even if they are small. Many therapists in this post-pandemic world offer the flexibility of virtual sessions, which can save travel time and increase convenience. Watch for those small pockets of time and time spent on things you can decrease or illuminate from your week to allow time for weekly therapy. Consider integrating therapy into your routine as you would any other important commitment. Remember, prioritizing mental health is not just about finding time; it's about making time and recognizing that a healthier mind can lead to a more balanced and fulfilling life.

If you feel you could use some help in applying these steps, then reach out. I would be happy to hear about what is happening and share with you how I can help. You can request a free 15-minute phone consultation by calling (678) 744-5369 or by clicking here. I specialize in helping trauma survivors feel calm; overwhelmed, and depressed women to find peace amid the chaos and sadness; anxious people feel safe and worry less; toxic relationship survivors feel more confident; and parents raising a traumatized child feel less traumatized themselves.