Why You Cannot Think Your Way Out of Emotional Overwhelm and How to Reset

I see you... You're smart. You're capable. You probably manage complex projects, keep a household running, or solve problems that would make other people weep. You are excellent at thinking.

So, when you find yourself in a state of total and utter overwhelm what is your first instinct?

It's likely what you do best... thinking.

Do you try to think your way out of it?  

Try to analyse the feelings you are having? 

Do you create a mental spreadsheet of why you are upset and try to negotiate with your anxiety via logic? (Totally been there!)

And then, when that doesn’t work, you get frustrated with yourself. "Why am I reacting like this? This is irrational. I just need to get a grip."

Here is the thing, lovely...

You cannot think your way out of a feeling.  

Why?  

Because the part of your brain that does the thinking has effectively left the building. It has left the building but only for a while if you bear these things in mind.

The Science of the Shutdown

I’m not going to bore you with a biology lecture, but understanding this can really help with self-compassion. 

When you hit a state of high stress or something triggers you, you experience emotional flooding.

I think this describes overwhelm perfectly for me I certainly feel completely flooded.  Full to the brim of thoughts, feelings it's a jumbled mess.  This then show up in extreme tiredness as my brain is trying to unscramble it all 🥴.  Though it feels really physical it is actually emotional.

During 'flooding', your Amygdala (the ancient security guard in your brain) smashes the emergency glass. It perceives a threat. 

It doesn’t matter if the threat is a tiger or an unread email from your boss the biological reaction is the same.

When the alarm bells ring, your Prefrontal Cortex (the 'smarts' and clever part of your brain responsible for logic, reasoning, and thinking) goes offline.

Why, when you need it more than ever?  

To conserve energy for fighting or fleeing.  It's survival 101.

Thinking vs Regulating

This is where high-functioning people get stuck. We mistake ruminating for processing.

Thinking is a top-down process. It's all the language, stories, and analysis that live in our noggin.
Regulating is a bottom-up process. Our nervous system, sensation, and safety and this all lives in our body.

When you're in a state of overwhelm, you don’t need a new strategy or a stern talking to. You brain and body needs to know you are safe. Your body is screaming that it is unsafe, and no amount of overactive internal monologuing will convince it otherwise until you shift your physiology.

If you have been reading my posts on burnout recovery, you know that pushing through these moments with more mental effort actually drains your battery faster and we don't need that now do we!

How to Come Back Online

So, if we can’t think our way out, what do we do? 

We have to feel our way through. We need to speak the language of the body.

This is where body-based and energy-based support comes in. It bypasses the "story" of why you are upset and goes straight to the nervous system.  

We can look at the story later if we want to but only once we are feeling steadier.  

Here are some thing to try:

• Do something to change your physical being: Cold water on the face, humming low in your chest, or shaking your hands out can interrupt the stress loop.
• Grounding: Literally putting your feet on the grass or floor. It sounds cliché, but it has real life bonifidey impact (who knew ) as it signals safety to the brain.
• Energy Work: This is why I love Reiki. It isn’t about analysing your stress; it’s about moving the stagnant energy that keeps you in that fight or flight loop.

Next time the overwhelm hits, drop the analysis. Stop trying to solve the emotion like it’s a maths problem. Step away, breathe deep into your belly, let it out with a big sigh... aaaaaah your body will then know it’s safe for your brain to come back online.

If you are constantly finding yourself in the loop.  Struggling with high-functioning anxiety and crashing out regularly, your subconscious is likely running the show. 

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