Overcoming Overwhelm: Finding Your Way When You Feel Stuck

Originally published: 28 February 2024. Last updated: 8 June 2025.

That gut-wrenching, chest-tightening feeling of what the f**k is happening and what do I do next?!
Yep, I’ve been there. Many of the women I work with have too.

You feel like you’ve tried everything. The diets. The supplements. The routines. The healing modalities. You’ve done the workshops, read the books, made the Pinterest boards… and somehow, you’re still standing in the kitchen at 4:30pm wondering what to cook, or lying in bed thinking I should feel better by now.

Overwhelm doesn’t just mean you have too much on. It means your nervous system is overloaded. You’re flooded. Your brain can’t prioritise what matters because everything feels urgent and impossible at the same time.

And in that place, it’s really easy to freeze — or spin.

What You’re Feeling Has A Name

Recently I came across a term that perfectly captures this feeling: acedia.

It’s an ancient word that describes a kind of inner listlessness — not quite depression, but a heavy, apathetic state where motivation is gone and direction feels fuzzy. You don’t even know what to try anymore. You just feel stuck. Numb. Adrift.

Sound familiar?

It’s so common — especially for women who’ve spent years doing all the right things, trying to hold it together, and carrying the mental, emotional, and physical load for everyone else.

What Helps When You’re Drowning In Overwhelm?

You don’t need more pressure. You don’t need to be told to “just try harder” or “stay positive.”

You need support.
You need a reset.
You need space to listen to what your body and heart are actually asking for — not what the world is shouting at you.

Here are a few things I’ve found make the biggest difference when you’re deep in overwhelm:

1. Acknowledge What You’re Feeling (Without Judgement)

This is not about being dramatic — it’s about being honest. Let yourself name it: I feel lost. I feel fed up. I feel unsure. When you bring it into the light, you begin to shift the shame.

2. Create Breathing Space

If you’re always reacting, always “on,” always responsible — your nervous system never gets a break. Journalling, stillness, nature time, and breathwork aren’t just luxuries — they help bring you back into regulation. Even 10 minutes of slow breathing outside can interrupt the overwhelm loop.

3. Get The Noise Out Of Your Head And Onto Paper

Do a brain dump. No structure. No plan. Just pour out the mental clutter. Often, the overwhelm feels bigger because it’s stuck in your head. Seeing it on paper allows you to breathe again.

4. Reach Out And Be Held

This isn’t meant to be done alone. Sometimes, just having someone gently hold space for you can break the paralysis. A friend. A practitioner. A safe space like Nourishment Gateway. Let someone help you sort through the fog.

You Don’t Have To Stay Stuck

Imagine waking up without that anxious tightness in your chest.
Imagine knowing what matters most — and actually having the energy to do it.
Imagine feeling supported, emotionally steady, and clear on your next steps.

That’s not wishful thinking. That’s what happens when you have the right support and a sustainable path to follow.

Inside Nourishment Gateway, I guide you through 12 months of cyclical, whole-person wellness — covering the emotional, physical, and nervous system layers that create true, lasting health. And we don’t ignore the hard bits. We expect resistance, wobbliness, and overwhelm… and we work with them gently and practically.

You don’t need a miracle. You need a rhythm, a framework, and a place to land.

Because the truth is — you can feel better. You can find direction again.
And you don’t have to figure it out on your own.