It’s inevitable. The journey you take online is going to be overwhelming. And it’s going to leave you wondering, at times, if having a website is worth the frustration, the challenges and the overwhelm.
Honestly, everyone who’s been successful online has learned to deal with these sorts of struggles. They’ve had to move forward when things are difficult and overwhelming. Rather than staying stuck they’ve found ways to work through it. And ultimately they’ve learned ways to stop web overwhelm.
Here’s five steps you can take to learn how to stop web overwhelm yourself and begin getting things done online:
To Stop Web Overwhelm Manage Your Feelings, But Focus on Your Actions
People who successfully stop web overwhelm do so by not taking counsel from their feelings. This is especially true if their feelings move them away from their business goals. Ask anyone who’s been successful online if they’ve hit times when it all seems too much…too overwhelming to the point that they feel like stopping. The answer is going to be a resounding yes.
People who are successful online know that overwhelm is part of the game. They expect it. Yet they know that overwhelm is a feeling; a feeling so big that it clouds their thoughts. I’m not saying to discount your feelings. Rather, take action – keep moving forward – in spite of them. Don’t allow your overwhelm to become an obstacle that stops you actions.
The 5 Steps to Stop Web Overwhelm:
First, Be Honest with Yourself That You Are Overwhelmed.
Begin with saying, out loud to your self, “I’m overwhelmed.” Listen to yourself say. Say it again, if you need too. Now watch how you feel. Did it change? The interesting thing is when we honestly name our feelings they change just a bit. We may think we know how we feel. The question is are we so wrapped up in our feelings that they take us over or are we active observers in how we feel knowing that our web overwhelm is just a portion of how we feel.
So start by being honest with yourself that you’re overwhelmed.
Second, Identify why you’re actually overwhelmed.
Now, this one can be a bit tricky because you’re likely to fault Twitter or Facebook or your website or something online. But while that can be the focus of our overwhelm, the source is usually something we’re feeling inside. Perhaps it’s fear – but fear of what. Maybe you feel stupid (you’re not). Maybe it has to do with making money or whether your work will be accepted or valued by people – and if they don’t, what does that say about you.
The key here is to identify what’s the source of your overwhelm. It may come out as ‘I just don’t get how to use Twitter.’ But that’s a symptom. We want to find the cause. And let me caution you here, this isn’t meant to be some large cathartic experience. While it’s certainly fine if it becomes that for you. Just be aware that sometimes the catharsis can be an avoidance technique. At that point you may want to find someone to help you identify your overwhelm.
Step 2 is to identify the source of your overwhelm
Third, Acknowledge & be present with your source feelings.
Once you’ve identified the source of your overwhelm – acknowledge it. Yep, that’s as simple as it sounds – just be willing to have it be there. Don’t judge yourself or need to make it different. Don’t push it away or obsess on it. For just a few minutes accept it and be present with it. You can do this in a number of ways. Perhaps a very short meditation. Maybe pretend that you’re holding that feeling in your hands (this works well for some people). Perhaps you feel it in your body – if so, just accept and be present with that part of your body.
Truthfully, find what works for you. The core thing is to acknowledge your overwhelm, be present with it and accept that it’s there.
Fourth, Observe what happens next.
As you’re being present with the source of your overwhelm it will begin to change. Your feelings will begin to change. Your outlook will begin to change. And your confidence in who you are and what you can do will grow. Now this only works if you can be present with your overwhelm WITHOUT judging yourself or it for being there. I know that sounds a little weird, but we tend to judge ourselves all the time. Judgement comes out of fear most often and fear leads to the dark side…oops, wrong movie. Sorry. Fear, in this case, leads to us not accepting our overwhelm.
When you can just sit and observe the source of your overwhelm for a short time – just a few minutes – it will change. It will become different. Often it dissipates and feelings calm; leaving our mind clearer. At this point you move to fifth step…
Fifth, Be grateful and get back to the work you love
Once your overwhelm dissipates, get back to work. Take just a moment and be thankful to yourself, your feelings, your mind, your soul, your Creator – whomever it feels natural to thank. There’s no right/wrong, religion/non-religion thing here. The point is to be grateful for the change that happened. Being grateful helps create new pathways for how we feel; how we deal with overwhelm. And it puts in a refreshed frame of mind to move forward into our work.
The final steps is to be grateful and return to your work.
I know the next questions…
I’m so busy all day, how long will this take?
The first time, maybe 5-10 minutes. After a few times, 2-4 minutes. Not long. As I said above, this isn’t some cathartic process. Rather, it’s a simple and easy process. Try not to make it more complicated than I described.
What if it doesn’t work for me?
It will. You just have to trust the process, try it, and keep working with it. For some people it’s a new idea to name your feelings or to be present with them. No fault there. Just keep trying it. Take your time. If the first time takes longer, don’t worry. It will work. Believe it or not, I use this with my kids all the time – especially when they get scrapes and bruises – works with them every time. Their pain literally goes away in a few minutes.
What does it mean that when I’m done I still feel overwhelmed?
The first thing – has your overwhelm changed at all? If so, good. Consider doing the 5 steps again. They don’t take long. If your overwhelm hasn’t changed – or hasn’t changed significantly it’s very likely because you haven’t found the real source of your overwhelm. Explore other feelings. What do your thoughts tell you about your overwhelm (careful for judgement here)? It’s there – it’s all within you. Keep practicing in identifying the source of your overwhelm. Sometimes you need a little more time or to go a little deeper with your thoughts and feelings.
You really can stop web overwhelm. The key is to remember that your overwhelm really isn’t caused by things outside you like email marketing or using WordPress. Your overwhelm is how you feel about those things.
The tactics and actions of having a website and marketing online are simply things you learn. Things you can and will learn. Just like you’ve learned everything else in your life – how to walk, how to talk, how to bathe, how to play your favorite instrument or sport. Web marketing is learned. Overwhelm is how you feel about it all.
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Ease Your Website Overwhelm
You know that I’ve been helping coaches and healers with their website and marketing for more than 20 years.
What you may not know is that I have extensive training in working with and healing the emotions and beliefs that get in our way. I use these techniques constantly in my work to help my clients ease and overcome the overwhelm they face with having a business, owning a website and all the technie pieces of being online.
I’ve specifically tailored this short, 2 session coaching package so that we can breakthrough your frustrations, fears and overwhelm and be able to reframe how your website can work for you.
Please leave me a comment and share how this process worked for you.
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