Many people experience feelings of overwhelm in everyday life. When they get up in the morning, they feel overwhelmed about what they need to do or achieve during the day. Children who may feel like this every day could think the best way to deal with it is to avoid particular tasks, especially if it will take them a long time or they won’t enjoy doing it.
There are a few people who thrive under pressure, enjoy having a lot to manage and don’t think too much about the tasks they don’t want to do. They find strategies to overcome those feelings. However, for the many children and adults who feel overwhelmed and struggle to know where to start, they often think, ‘how will I get this done’ or ‘where do I begin?’
Many children and young people today feel this way about homework, coursework and projects, so how can parents help children manage their overwhelm and tackle their workload?
Tips for Coping with Feelings Of Overwhelm
One of the most effective strategies to start dealing with overwhelm is to break a big project/task down into smaller, manageable steps. This helps children see the progress they are making as they complete each stage and tick them off their to-do list.
Parents can encourage children to take small breaks between these steps to keep motivated and maintain focus. When children have large assignments, breaking them down shows them that all work follows a process and has an end game. Tasks can feel bigger than they actually are when they are viewed as a whole, but breaking them down helps reduce the stress children feel.
If they have more than one task to complete, get them to write down the list of tasks so that they can see what they have to do rather than just imagine that ‘long’ list.
Parents can encourage children to take one step at a time and remind them that progress matters more than perfection. Regular check-ins and encouragement can make a big difference in how confident they feel about their workload. When children understand their workload realistically, they become calmer and more organised, which means they are better able to plan their time and complete tasks successfully. This builds resilience and gives children and teenagers important life skills that will help them beyond school.
Parents can support their children by staying calm, listening to them and helping them if they need it. We live in a fast-paced world where children are juggling school, activities and digital distractions all at once – and sometimes the overwhelm can feel huge, especially when it seems there aren’t enough hours in the day. But parents can play a big part in helping children learn how to deal with overwhelm.
Get More Support
If your child needs some extra support to deal with stress, overwhelm or anxiety, learn more about my life coaching for children sessions.
