What do you do when:

you're feeling very overwhelmed?!

I have down time during the day (but I don't regularly have whole days off) but I can't seem to shake this feeling of being constantly overwhelmed. I was told I'd have tomorrow off so I could head up to my mom's with all three dogs. And most of my family would be there, but now I have to work. And it's crushing me more than it should. I know I need days off, but I can't seem to get them. What else do people do?!?! I just can't seem to fully relax unless I'm asleep, which I also haven't been getting enough of.

Blah, not just venting. Honestly looking for halp!

Two things: one is be stern with work. If they are calling you in on days off regularly that is not ok. Let them know that it bothers you. Second is use that down time as down time. You will feel guilty sitting on the couch when you could be doing other things, but it will help you feel motivated later.

I second the above - work, especially in the pet field it seems, WILL call you in on days off if they know you won't say no. Learn to say no for your own sanity.

I work in healthcare and am constantly getting called on days off. You do just have to be firm.

If I start getting stressed and feeling overwhelmed, I make lists. It sounds dumb, but when I'm worrying it's kind of a general worry like "aaauuggghh I have so many things to do and everything is horrible and waaagghh"

When it's all in a list, it's not so bad. For one, I actually know what I'm feeling overwhelmed about. Two, it's way less overwhelming on paper. Once it's on paper, if it's still overwhelming (like maybe a major illness or something you have no control over) then you can make a sub list of ways to cope or start chipping away at it. That way you do feel like you've got some control, and if it really is something you have no control over then you can be like "welp I can't control that anyway," and spend your energy somewhere else.

Edit: Also when everything is listed out, if there really truly isn't anything you can do about it then you can totally revel in your downtime without any guilty feelings.

I also make to-do lists. It helps keeps me from totally shutting down and lets me focus on individual things or small groups of things that I can accomplish one by one, and also lets me feel accomplished as I check them off. I break stuff down pretty small, too, so if my goal for a weekend is to "clean the house" I will break the list down by room and then list things out one by one. So my "TV Room" list might have stuff like "dust windowsills," "declutter coffee table," "wipe down coffee table" on it.

I also try to do thinks in very small chunks of time with short breaks in between. So say I have a day off and I want to clean the house. Fold a load of laundry and start a new one, spend a few minutes on FB. Clean the litterboxes and bird cage, play a couple games of solitaire. Empty and reload the dishwasher, check Chaz. etc. etc. Then I feel like I am not going to be at any one task forever and I'm still getting a little goof-off time without wasting a whole day.

(The exception being working in the garden. I just do what needs to be done that day until it's done, but for me it is kind of work AND goof-off time all at once.)

During my down time I play candy crush and pet rescue saga lol, for me it's a great way to de-stress.

I eat. Or smoke cigarettes. Or get really shitty and miserable.

I don't handle it well. I have no advice. Only sympathy. I hope something works for you or you magically destress and underwhelm!

Turn into a horrible toad. I will be fine during the day at work, but I'm horrible when I come home and I pick on the OH and get moody. I know I'm tired and stressed when I feel annoyed at him for no reason.... I'm so much more pleasant when I'm not tired, and not stressed.

There's nothing I can really do in my job to lessen the work, it is what it is. But I try and keep on top of it, and I DELEGATE! I ask our lovely admin to type things, and file things, book meetings etc. I'm swamped at the moment. Which is bad for me, as my other survival technique is procrastinate and not do any of it...

But ultimately, I'm not prepared to stay in a job that makes me feel like death full time. Periods of death, ok, but all the time, no. I'd be job hunting.

I really appreciate the comments! I knew I'd have this morning off so last night I didn't make myself do anything. I still feel quite overwhelmed but I'm spending this morning on my couch with no expectations. NONE. And I'm okay with that.

I would usually go hiking on a morning like this but I've reached my social maximum. I don't want to have to interact with people yet today. And that's okay.

I find social isolation also helps me when I'm stressed... I deal with people all day every day....

And I like listening to hypnosis if I find I get anxiety when I get into bed (stress induced). I listen to pretty much anything by Andrew Johnson. I download his apps onto my phone and stick headphones in and listen to it on loop in bed.... Although I NEVER manage to stay awake through a full one!!!!! He sends me straight to sleep and I do feel better after. I really highly recommend them, but for them to be effective you're supposed to listen every night for 3 weeks. Im so tuned to them now they relax me instantly, so I only use them when I want to now.

Download it, put your feet up and just breathe deeply. Some people struggle to get into hypnosis tracks, but I found just listening every night helped me focus on them... And even if your mind wanders, you're still listening (he says this lol).

I make a list of everything I have to do that is stressing me out, this list makes things feel manageable

then I put the list away, turn my phone off (the iphone has a block feature so work numbers don't go through and you can just take them off block later, the pet industry often makes this feature freaking necessary), order some horribly amazing chinese food, and veg out and watch netflix for 10 hours and talk to nobody.

The Fran recharge protocol requires no people except for the chinese food delivery guy

Make a list of all the things that are overwhelming me. Once that's done, it usually doesn't seem nearly as bad and I can get the things done. If it does still seem bad, do 1-3 of the things. DO NOT procrastinate in the name of relaxing while thinking about how you should be doing things, that is not relaxing. If you're going to blow things off, acknowledge that you are allowing yourself to blow things off, you are going to relax for X amount of time and deal with it later. Then, nap and start off doing something small and fun but something you've still been putting off for whatever reason, like for me working on some dog training stuff. That usually puts me back in productive, not swirling mode.

Last night I braved the liquor store to buy cider. I came home and drank one while I sat in the darkness of my apt with my animals. And then I went to bed. It was glorious. And very much what I needed.

This morning I have gotten a LOT more done, but I told myself I am not going anywhere. There is nothing that needs to be done today (except go to work, at 3) that can't wait another day. And I feel better. A lot better.

Oh yeah! I forgot drinking. I do that too. It helps.

I'm pretty much in a constant state of being overwhelmed. LOL.

You def NEED time to yourself. One thing that I think helps me is thy I schedule cleaning and chores into my workweek schedule so that on my days off I am OFF!

I'm glad you found some relief though.

There are chinese places that deliver? Oh god I would be so fat. I already am but I would be fatter.

I weep for your existence. Your sad, sad Chinese food delivery free existence

The only chinese place around here delivers and is about two miles from my house.

I can easily dump 30 dollars on chinese food and then easily dump most of it into my face in one sitting.

... yes, my methods of dealing with stress are unhealthy. Bugger off.

Chinese food tastes terrible reheated, so the only logical is to eat it all in one sitting, obviously.

Honestly, I do something like Fran. I am ALWAYS overwhelmed. I have noticed a LOT of it is the constant strain on your mind to remember what you need to do, when, with who, and how. Then keep reminding yourself and motivating yourself to do it. Making lists or keeping info on a calendar that alerts me has helped a LOT so that some of that burden is off of me. When I'm still feeling greatly overwhelmed, I remind myself that I am human and veg out for a day, night, whatever I can get. No obligations, I don't talk to anyone. I eat and get fat and watch something good on Netflix and forget about the world. The dogs can go a day or two without exercise and/or training at home. They seem to like the break, sometimes, too...

Seriously, what!?

Please weep for me as well... That area of the US is looking more and more appealing for a move, now!