Who has not felt overwhelmed at one time or another? When too many emotions swamp you all at once and you feel like you can’t strike a balance between your feelings, thoughts, and body, know that no one is really immune to this. Anyone can experience it when “the going gets tough,” but the good news is that it can be addressed by counseling.

Feeling overwhelmed can make it hard to think clearly, focus, and make decisions. If you feel hopeless, helpless, and unmotivated, and sense that you are losing control over many aspects of your life, do something positive to help yourself—seek out a counselor.

Can counseling help? YES, if life is overwhelming, counseling can help you!

How can counseling help you stop feeling overwhelmed?

• Identify the roots of the problem. What is making your life seem overwhelming? According to Marla W. Deibler, PsyD, of the Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, “it varies by individual” and the “the possibilities are endless.” A counselor can help you unravel the underlying reasons or causes. However, feeling overwhelmed is a normal reaction to having too many things on your plate, which is quite common for some people, such as single parents, parents with multiple children, the elderly with chronic medical conditions, and the unemployed. Good Therapy says it can also be complicated by other issues:  “relationship problems, financial difficulties, poor diet, traumas, sleep deprivation, the demise of a loved one, life transitions, difficulty meeting deadlines, career demands, and the possibility of an underlying physical or emotional health condition.”

• Determine if it is being caused by an emotional condition. Anxiety is among the most common conditions associated with feeling overwhelmed. If an emotional condition like anxiety is causing your problem, a counselor can assess and diagnose your symptoms. They can also offer treatment and ways to overcome the condition.

If you have an emotional condition, a counselor is the first professional you must see; there are several good reasons why. As with a medical condition, your symptoms may only dissipate if you are treated. Your counselor can offer treatment options to manage your issues.

• Sort out your issues and emotions. When you are overwhelmed, a lot of things—feelings, thoughts—are going on. It can be difficult to identify what is causing what, what is sensible and what isn’t, and what is the right thing to do. To see through your issues clearly and make the right decisions, you need to sort out your emotions. Unfortunately, this isn’t something that is easy to do.

You need someone with a trained eye—a certified and experienced counselor/therapist—to understand what is causing you to feel overwhelmed. A counselor can also help you identify your key issues and work through them.

• Prevent your emotions from overwhelming you. You cannot avoid experiencing intense emotions, because it is a human thing. What your counselor can do is help you find ways to stop your feelings from becoming too intense. There are tools that your counselor can introduce to you and there are skills that you can build and develop with their help.

Therapy is an effective strategy for gaining a different and healthier perspective on your life circumstances. In addition, there are certain techniques that may help you stay calm when intense emotions are about to engulf you.

• Prevent other problems from complicating your concerns. Feeling emotionally overwhelmed can lead to many other difficulties, such as poor health and trouble maintaining relationships. If you have a chronic condition, emotional stress can complicate or worsen your health issues. If you are constantly agitated, you may not be able to eat or sleep well, lowering your body’s ability to fend off diseases and infections. Hospitalization and medication can be expensive.

Counseling can make you feel positive. Just talking about your problems and having someone listen to you can be healing. If you let a counselor help you feel less overwhelmed, these related concerns can be mitigated and the complications curtailed, if not completely prevented.

If you are overwhelmed by unhealthy, negative emotions, such as extreme fear, excessive sadness or grief, persistent anger, vexing guilt, etc., it can be difficult to distinguish your real issues. To improve your condition, you need to know what’s causing the intense emotions, so you can sort out your issues and prevent them from getting more complicated. If it is connected to an emotional condition, your symptoms need to be assessed and the condition diagnosed for proper treatment. These are the reasons why you need counseling.

YES, counseling can help you! The best place to find your perfect counselor is Carolina Counseling Services – Sanford, NC. Whether the underlying issue is anxiety, depression, or another emotional condition or you are simply overwhelmed by day-to-day challenges, a counselor independently contracted with CCS can be the best help you can find.

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