It is okay to be feeling every emotion right now. Our emotions can be considered signals, signals to warn us or tell us when things need to change. Being overwhelmed emotionally can feel like a roller coaster of mood swings. It is important to accept our emotions to a point, but also to know when they need to be addressed.

 We may be excited for new life events, while also scared for the future of our world with all that is going on. There is no way to know what the future will hold, so it is important to be able to use our emotions for good instead of letting them overwhelm us. Being overwhelmed means that we are fully immersed in our emotions where they are taking control of our thoughts and actions. There is no right or wrong response to overwhelming emotions.

Things that can contribute to feeling emotionally overwhelmed:

• Losing a loved one
• A pandemic
• Starting a family
• Changing careers
• Challenges with mental and physical health
• A recession or any financial struggles
• Experiencing trauma
• Guilt for doing better

Emotions that you may be experiencing:

• Excited for new or upcoming life events or changes
• Sad for how the world is right now
• Scared for what is to come with the changed of the world
• Thankful to be with family and friends
• Having guilt for having more than others do right now
• Feeling like you should not have all of these emotions right now

Ways to address your overwhelming emotions:

• Listen to your emotions

What are your emotions trying to tell you? What may be causing them to happen?

• Ask yourself how you are doing regularly

We tend to get so caught up in our daily tasks that we forget to focus on ourselves. If we ask ourselves regularly how we are doing and what can be done to make things better, the less we will feel overwhelmed.

• Use grounding techniques

Grounding techniques help us gain mindfulness so that we may better understand our inner self and what our system connections are trying to tell us. This can be using breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, going into nature, journaling, and much more.

• Give yourself the time and space to cope with your emotions

Many of us cannot fully acknowledge our feelings and emotions when we do not take time to truly listen and reflect. Understanding our emotions and why we are so overwhelmed takes time so give yourself a break every now and then to reflect and heal.

• Express your emotions

This can be done in many ways such as art, journaling, and going to therapy. Art can help us express emotions that we may not be able to put into words, while journaling and therapy allow us to discuss our emotions that we have built up inside.

• Accept your emotions for what they are

We are going to have ups and downs, that is normal. There are no right, or wrong emotions and we all feel things differently. Accept your emotions to a point and be willing to use tools and techniques to help manage these emotions.

• Talk to a loved one or trained professional

Sometimes talking to a loved one about your emotions can help but for others it is easier to talk to a trained professional such as a counselor or social worker. A therapist can provide many tools and techniques to help identify and manage overwhelming emotions.

These may seem hard to accomplish at first but take control and receive the help you need to better manage your emotions. We all handle emotions differently, so what may work for you may not work for someone else. Be willing to figure out what does work for you to help you live a better more fulfilling life. If you are struggling right now with overwhelming emotions and need help managing them, reach out to a trained therapist for help.

You do not have to navigate the ups and downs of life right now by yourself. Remember to be kind to yourself, there are many changes going on in the world right now and there is no way to know what will happen tomorrow, so know that it is okay to have mixed emotions.